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Fatwa CenterThrowing picture of Ka’bah and Prophet's Mosque by mistake
Question
Shaykh, I have accidentally thrown away a picture of Prophet's Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, masjid, as well as a picture of the Ka’bah, so I do not know what to do now, and I think that I also have Islamic material of which I do not know where it is, but I had no intent of disrespect. I also lost Islamic material, such as Ayaytul Kursi, what shall I do? What Islamic material is sacred? Is having the Quran in the room while playing music or anything else I mentioned Kufr (disbelief)?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
It seems to us – and Allah knows best – that a person is not sinful for throwing away a paper with a picture of the Ka’bah or a picture of the Prophet’s Mosque, because the picture of something is not really that very thing.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, in answer to a question about the ruling on sitting on a mat on which there is a drawing of the Ka’bah, said in Fataawa Noorun ‘ala Ad-Darb, “There is also nothing wrong with this, meaning that it is acceptable to put a mat and sit on it even if there is on it a picture of the Ka’bah or a picture of the tomb of the Prophet on it, because the person who sits does not intend to disrespect the Ka’bah or the burial chamber of the Prophet and this is not really the Prophet's burial chamber or the Ka’bah.”
However, it is more appropriate for the Muslim not to throw such pictures away out of respect for the sacred ordinances of Allah.
The same thing applies to someone who has papers on which the Quran is written and he does not know where they are, as this does not necessitate that he is sinful, because just not knowing does not necessitate sin.
Since a Muslim does not become sinful by what is mentioned, then it is with greater reason that he does not become Kaafir (a disbeliever) because of that.
In principle, a Muslim remains a Muslim, and he is not ruled to be a Kaafir except if he did something of which it is proven with evidence that it takes the Muslim out of the fold of Islam. Moreover, this can only be done after certain conditions are met and certain impediments are absent. For more benefit on the conditions of Takfeer (declaring a Muslim as Kaafir), please refer to fatwas 87963 and 8106.
As regards the matters that are sacred, then this includes several things; Ibn Al-Qayyim said in Madaarij As-Saalikeen after mentioning some statements of the scholars about the meaning of the 'sacred ordinances of Allah' that we are commanded to honor and respect: “The correct view is that the sacred ordinances (Hurumaat) include all of this. It is the plural of Hurmah, which is what must be respected and preserved of rights, persons, times and places. Honoring them is by giving them their due right and preserving them from being wasted...”
It should also be mentioned that just putting the Quran in a place where there is music does not render a person Kaafir unless he had intended to disrespect it. The Quran should not be put in such places out of respect for it.
Allah knows best.
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