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Fatwa CenterPicking up paper with sacred text on it
Question
Shaykh Ad-Dardeer (from the Maaliki School of jurisprudence) said in Ash-Sharh Al-Kabeer regarding the statement of Khaleel, “Like throwing a mus-haf (copy of the Quran) in a dirty place:”
“Even if the dirt is something pure like spit, or smearing it with it. What is meant by mus-haf is anything on which the Quran is written, even if it is only one word thereof. The same applies to leaving it in that dirty place, i.e. not taking it out if one finds it there because leaving it there is like putting it there in the first place. Yet, putting it there is a physical act, and leaving it is a moral one. What applies to the Quran also applies to the Beautiful Names of Allaah and the names of the Prophets, as well as the Hadith, as it is apparent...”
I am really confused about what is meant by knowing that a sacred name is written. Suppose that you see a newspaper containing the picture of a person whose name is Abdullaah, but you only see his picture. Does this mean that until you see his name with your own eyes, you are not obliged to pick it up? Is it not more likely that it would contain the name? What is one to do in such a case? Please help, for the sake of Allaah. Do not recommend other fatwas, please.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
We have previously received a similar question from you and answered it in fatwa 319621.
In any case, a Muslim is responsible for what he knows, but he is not required to investigate what he does not know to be held responsible for it.
Imaam Maalik 
narrated in Al-Muwatta’ that once ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab 
was among a group that included ‘Amr ibn Al-'Aas until they came upon a pond. ‘Amr ibn Al-'Aas asked the owner of the pond, “Have the beasts of prey discovered your pond?" Thereupon, ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab interrupted, “O owner of the pond! Do not inform us; since the people drink after the wild beasts and the wild beasts after the people.”
Therefore, just seeing a picture of a person whose name is ‘Abdullaah does not entail that one is obliged to pick it up, unless he sees the name of Allaah or other sacred text written on it that requires preserving it from being treated with disrespect. Nevertheless, before a person sees the name, he is not liable and is free from any obligation.
The statement of Ad-Dardeer applies to what one actually saw and not what he did not see.
Allaah knows best.
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