What is the ruling on dissolving an old Mushaf, or something containing verses from the Qur’an, or books, in water?

If the pages of the Qur'an or religious books containing Qur'anic verses or prophetic hadiths become damaged and unusable, there are several appropriate methods for disposal, such as burning, burying, and shredding.

If the writing is removed by any suitable means, whether by burning, shredding, or washing with pure water, then its sacredness is gone. Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered the burning of copies of the Qur'an that differed from the main exemplar (Mus'haf al-Imam). Marwan ibn al-Hakam (may Allah have mercy on him) ordered the tearing and burning of the Qur'anic scrolls that were with Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) after her death. Al-Tabari mentioned that Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered the erasure of the copies of the Qur'an that people had after the main exemplar was copied.

Erasure is more general than washing or burning. Iyad definitively stated that they washed them with water and then burned them to thoroughly remove them. As for now, washing is more appropriate if there is a need to remove the writing.

If a Mus'haf becomes worn out to the extent that it cannot be read, it is not disliked to bury it. It is recommended to wrap it in a pure cloth and bury it in a protected place, or wash it with water until the writing is removed.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about old, torn copies of the Qur'an, and about the ruling on someone who writes the Qur'an and then erases it with water or burns it. He replied that a torn Mus'haf should be buried in a protected place, and that there is no harm in drinking water used to erase the Qur'an or dhikr. Indeed, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to order giving water in which Qur'anic verses were erased to those who were ill.

When writing is erased, the original sacredness of the writing no longer remains.