Assalaamu alaykum. I recently got married and my wife is not very practicing in following islam; Allaah willing, she is just learning. My issue is, I have accidently found some papers and notes in the Arabic language in my wife's purse. Me and my wife cannot read arabic and cannot understand it. They are handwritten, and it does not seem to me like they are scriptures from the Quran. My wife told me that her aunt gave it to her, and my problem is that my wife's aunt is little bit weird, as she performs daily prayers and fasts, but she also goes to soothsayers, so-called 'fortune tellers' who give different kinds of supplications written on papers and tell people to keep it somewhere in the house or hide it elsewhere. And there are many 'mullah's' who do this kind of practice in our country, sitting at home and giving people different supplications in Arabic writing, which nobody understands, and using it in different ways. I do not approve or support these kind of people and stay away from them and ask my wife to do that as well. Now, as I have found these papers with supplications that I do not understand, I have a feeling that I should throw them away or burn them or something. I feel as if these things should not be in our house and that it may harm us somehow. My wife does not understand these things and she just keeps it because her aunt gave it to her. Please tell me what should I do with these papers. Can I send it to you somehow so you could read and explain to me what it is and tell me whether we should keep it or not? Is there any email address to which I can send the pictures? There is no 'attach' option here on the website. Thank you very much in advance for your timely response.

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.

There are two possibilities; the first is that these papers may be amulets containing verses of the Quran or reported supplications and Thikr (remembrance of Allaah) that was authentically narrated on the authority of the Prophet . If they are as such, then whether to keep them or not is a point of difference among scholars. Some scholars held that it is permissible to wear or use such amulets, while others held that it is forbidden. It is more cautious to forbid them in accordance with the general ruling, to be on the safe side, and in order not to expose them to disrespectful treatment (given that they may contain verses of the Quran and Thikr). For more benefit, please refer to fatwa 91549.

The second possibility is that these papers contain amulets that denote disbelief, works of magic, or the like, and wearing or using such amulets is totally prohibited in Islam.

In any case, as long as you do not know the meaning of the words written on these papers, you should simply dispose of them by burning them or the like because, at best, they may be amulets containing verses of the Quran or supplications, as underlined above, and wearing them is impermissible according to many scholars, and this view is more prudent.

Lastly, we advise you to try to learn Arabic; it is the means to learn about your religion as well as the meanings of the Quran and the words of the Prophet .

Allaah knows best.