Answered by Shaykh Yūsuf Badāt
Question:
Does one need wudūʾ(ritual ablution) in order to read the transliteration of the Qurʿān without physically touching it i.e reading it online/on an app/ or tablet?
Answer:
Jazāk Allāh Khayr/ Thank you for your question.
No doubt, it is preferred and praiseworthy to recite Qurʿān, while in the state of wudūʾ. This is an act of great respect the Qurʿān deserves.
“if one observes the sanctity of the symbols of Allāh, then such things emanate from the piety of the hearts.” (Qurʿān 22:32)
Reading the Qur‘ān in transliteration online, or on a digital mobile app, without wudūʾ, and without physically touching the Qurʿān, is permissible as long as one is not in a state of major ritual impurity (janābah).
‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Omar (may Allāh be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) said, “A menstruating woman or a seminally defiled person should not recite any part of the Qurʿān”. (Tirmidhī and Bayhaqī)
It should be noted that the original Qurʿān, as the divine Speech of Allāh, will always remain in Arabic.
And Allāh Knows Best