Is it permissible for one who is not in a state of ritual purity (ghair al-mutawaddi') or a menstruating woman (al-ha'id) to touch the Qur'an while wearing gloves, or while holding the Mus'haf and turning its pages without touching the words?

A menstruating woman is not permitted to touch the Mushaf (definition) directly without a barrier. As for touching it with gloves, there is a difference of opinion among scholars. The Shafi'is and Malikis prohibit it, while the Hanbalis and Hanafis permit it.

The jurists have agreed on the impermissibility of touching the Mushaf without a barrier for one who is in a state of ritual impurity, based on the Almighty's saying: {none touch it except the purified} (Quran 56:79) and the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) hadith (definition): "No one should touch the Quran except one who is pure."

They differed regarding touching the Mushaf with a barrier: The Malikis and Shafi'is: They hold it to be absolutely forbidden, even with a barrier. The Hanbalis and Hanafis: They permit touching the Mushaf for one who is in a state of ritual impurity (حدث) with a separate barrier (such as a bag or gloves); because the touching is of the barrier, not the Mushaf itself. The Hanafis distinguished between a separate barrier (like an unstitched cover) and an attached one.

Piety (wara‘) and caution (ihtiyat) necessitate refraining from touching the Mushaf with a barrier for one who is in a state of ritual impurity and for a menstruating woman, in order to avoid disagreement. It is forbidden to touch the pages of the Mushaf and its attached cover, even if the pages are blank or pertain to its margins and spaces between lines.