What the MUIS Fatwa Says About Shredding a Quran
When a family finds a stack of old Qurans in the cupboard, the question is rarely what scholars in general say. It is narrower: what does our own fatwa committee say.
That question has had an answer since 2012. The Fatwa Committee of Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) ruled that disposing of a mushaf and religious writings using a shredder machine is permitted in religion. It set one condition, about how fine the shreds are.
What the Fatwa Committee decided
The summary ruling, in MUIS's own words:
"Jawatankuasa Fatwa memutuskan bahawa melupuskan Mushaf (al-Qur'an) dan penulisan agama menggunakan mesin shredder dibenarkan dalam agama kerana huruf-hurufnya terpisah antara satu sama lain dan tidak lagi membawa hukum ayat-ayat al-Qur'an."
Our English rendering: "The Fatwa Committee rules that disposing of the Mushaf (al-Qur'an) and religious writings using a shredder machine is permitted in religion, because its letters are separated from one another and it no longer carries the ruling of the verses of the al-Qur'an."
Source: Fatwa berkaitan penggunaan mesin shredder, Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura
The reasoning does real work. The shredder is permitted because the letters come apart. The machine is not the point. What it does to the writing is.
The condition the fatwa sets
The operative ruling is paragraph 7:
"Atas dasar itu, Jawatankuasa Fatwa memutuskan bahawa apabila sebuah penulisan agama atau mushaf telah dicarikkan dengan cara yang mulia, sehingga huruf-hurufnya tidak boleh dibaca, maka ia tidak lagi membawa hukum mushaf atau ayat-ayat Al-Quran atau kalimah suci, serta boleh dihapuskan. Oleh itu melupuskan penulisan agama dan ayat-ayat Al-Quran dengan menggunakan mesin carikkan (shredder) adalah dibenarkan dalam agama. Dengan syarat, hasil yang terkeluar dari mesin tersebut mestilah menjadi halus, sehinggakan huruf-huruf penulisan tersebut terpisah antara satu sama yang lain."
Our English rendering: "On this basis, the Fatwa Committee rules that when a religious writing or mushaf has been shredded in a dignified manner, such that its letters can no longer be read, it no longer carries the ruling of a mushaf or of Quranic verses or sacred words, and it may be disposed of. Therefore, disposing of religious writings and Quranic verses using a shredding machine is permitted in religion. On the condition that the output from the machine must be fine, such that the letters of the writing are separated from one another."
In plain words: the shreds must be fine enough that the letters separate and can no longer be read.
Once that happens, the fatwa says something worth sitting with. The shreds no longer carry the ruling of a mushaf. The sacredness was in the readable text, and when the text is gone, so is the ruling attached to it.
Why the fatwa reaches that conclusion
The binding principle is honouring the mushaf. The Committee quotes Imam al-Nawawi, in al-Tibyan fi Adab Hamalat al-Quran, that Muslims are agreed on the obligation to protect and honour the mushaf, and that casting it into filth is a grave matter.
Disposing of a worn mushaf is permitted, and is in fact a necessity. If a mushaf is worn out and can no longer be read, the Committee holds that disposal is allowed, and more than allowed, because it protects the mushaf from neglect that leads to disrespect.
The Sahabah did this. The Committee cites Sahih al-Bukhari, in the chapter on the compilation of the Quran, that Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered the burning of mushafs containing qiraat that had been abrogated.
Scholars differed on method, not principle. Imam al-Suyuti, in al-Itqan, inclined toward water. Some Shafi'i scholars held that burning better ensures the writing is erased without a trace. MUIS notes this difference carries a meaning: the discussion was about the means, not the principle.
That is the logic that lets a 2012 committee rule on a machine no classical jurist ever saw. If the goal is that letters stop being readable, a shredder serves it as water or fire did.
How our method meets that condition
We micro-shred to DIN 66399 P-5, a German industrial standard for how completely paper is destroyed. P-5 is one of its stricter levels. In plain words, the paper does not come out in strips but as particles smaller than 30 square millimetres, roughly the size of a grain of cooked rice.
At that size a single Arabic letter does not survive whole on a particle. Nothing is readable and nothing can be reassembled. That is the condition the fatwa names, and that is how we meet it.
Please be clear about what we are and are not saying. MUIS does not endorse, certify, approve or partner with ShredRite. The fatwa names no company and no vendor, because it rules on a method, not a business. We are not MUIS-approved and we will never tell you we are. Our claim is narrower: the fatwa sets a condition about fineness, and this is the standard we shred to. Read the condition and judge our method against it yourself.
What this means for your cupboard
Most people who call us are carrying a worry rather than a technical question: that letting go of a late parent's Quran is itself disrespectful. So the boxes stay under the stairs another year.
The fatwa answers that worry, in the opposite direction to what people expect. Disposing of a worn mushaf is not merely permitted but a necessity, precisely because it protects the writing from neglect. The years of waiting are not the careful choice. Handling it properly is.
More on that guilt: is it haram to throw away a Quran.
Read the fatwa yourself
The fatwa is titled "Fatwa berkaitan penggunaan mesin shredder". It is dated 22 March 2012, corresponding to 28 Rabiulakhir 1433H, and signed by Dr Mohamed Fatris Bakaram, then Mufti of Singapore and Chairman of the Fatwa Committee. The text on the MUIS site is in Malay and carries footnotes to al-Nawawi, al-Bukhari, al-Suyuti and al-Dimyati.
Read it here: the fatwa on muis.gov.sg.
Using ShredRite, if you decide to
Two routes. Both charge the same by weight: $5.50 per kg for paper and books, $7 per kg for frames and non-paper.
| Route | Booking fee | When | Worked examples | Gives back to the masjid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doorstep collection | $20, or $10 with code ALEEM10 | Your area's weekday slot | 10kg $75, 20kg $130. With ALEEM10: 10kg $65, 20kg $120 | $10 plus $1 per kg |
| Masjid drop-off | $0 | Last Saturday of the month, 2pm to 5pm | 10kg $55, 20kg $110 | $2.50 per kg |
The drop-off has no booking fee, but it is not a free service. For genuinely free options, including ones that are not ours, see our page on free Quran disposal.
For doorstep collection, North and West are Mondays and Fridays. East and Central are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Slots are morning, 9am to 12pm, or afternoon, 12pm to 4pm. Check the booking page calendar for your area.
You book over WhatsApp and pay nothing upfront. We weigh everything on our digital platform scale at your door, in front of you, then micro-shred it at our Tannery Lane facility. We do not shred at your doorstep. For the method step by step, see our guide to Quran disposal in Singapore.
We take Quran and mushaf, kitab, madrasah textbooks, Yasin books, framed ayat, tasbih, sejadah and telekung printed with verses, and Quran cassettes. One exception: we do not handle talismans, wafaq, or items tied to spiritual practices.
Common questions
Is it haram to shred a Quran?
No. The MUIS Fatwa Committee ruled in 2012 that shredder disposal is permitted in religion, on one condition about how fine the shreds are. The Committee also held that disposing of a worn mushaf is not merely allowed but a necessity, because it protects the writing from neglect.
What does the MUIS fatwa actually say?
That when a mushaf has been shredded in a dignified manner, such that its letters can no longer be read, it no longer carries the ruling of a mushaf or of Quranic verses, and may be disposed of. Shredder disposal is permitted, on the condition that the output be fine enough that the letters separate.
Does MUIS approve ShredRite?
No. The fatwa names no company and no vendor. It rules on a method, not a business, and MUIS does not endorse or certify us. What we can say is that the fatwa sets a condition about fineness, and we shred to DIN 66399 P-5, which meets it.
What is the condition?
The fatwa sets one explicit condition, fineness: the output must be fine enough that the letters separate from one another and can no longer be read. That condition sits inside a ruling that also assumes the shredding is done in a dignified manner. Both matter, and we hold ourselves to both.
What is DIN 66399 P-5?
A German industrial standard for how completely paper is destroyed. P-5 is one of its stricter levels: the paper comes out not in strips but as particles smaller than 30 square millimetres, roughly the size of a grain of cooked rice. The letters are separated and nothing can be read or reassembled.
Can I shred it myself at home?
The condition is about fineness, so the answer depends on your machine, not your intention. Most home shredders are strip-cut or basic cross-cut, and leave pieces where whole words are still readable. If you can still read words, the condition has not been met.
Can the shreds go in the recycling after?
According to the fatwa, yes. Once the letters separate and can no longer be read, the writing no longer carries the ruling of a mushaf or of Quranic verses, and may be disposed of. We recycle the shredded paper.
Who do I ask if I am still unsure?
Your own ustaz, or your mosque office. We are a disposal service, not a religious authority, and we do not issue rulings. If your situation has details the fatwa does not cover, please ask them.
If you are ready
The ruling has been on the MUIS website since 2012 and most people have never seen it. Now you have. Read it, ask your ustaz, then decide.
Book on our booking and drop-off page, WhatsApp or call (+65) 8383 1987, or write to info@shred-rite.com.