Is it permissible to put the Mushaf on one’s thigh or knee when reading from it?

Praise be to Allah.

Venerating and respecting the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, is part of faith, and subjecting it to disrespect and mishandling is undoubtedly prohibited.

But there is nothing wrong with the reader placing the Mushaf on his thigh or knee whilst reading, and it does not seem that there is any kind of disrespect towards the Book of Allah in doing that. Rather it may be that this is easier for some readers, and is more comfortable for them when reading, especially if they are reading for a long time.

But in that case he must be careful not to let the Mushaf fall onto his foot or on the ground.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

It is permissible for a person to put the Mushaf in a pocket on his chest or on his side, but if he puts it in a pocket that is on his side, he should take care when sitting, so that it will not be near his posterior, meaning that he should put it on his thigh.”(Liqa’ al-Bab al-Maftuh  168/10).

Thus the shaykh indicated that there is nothing wrong with putting the Mushaf on one’s thigh.

He (may Allah have mercy on him) was also asked about putting the Mushaf in one’s lap when reading Quran : is that contrary to proper etiquette? He replied: No.

And Allah knows best.