Muslims believe that the Quran is the speech of Allah, who in their eyes, is the supreme creator of our world.

The book is thought to be sacred, without any equal, and it stipulates that whoever touches it should clean themselves by performing the Islamic ritual known as wudu (ablution) before physically touching it.

Therefor, it is not typical in most traditions for a Muslim to touch the Quran without wudu.

This view is shared by the four imams (Hanafi, Malaki, Shafi, Hanbali), and this view was also shared by the companions of Muhammad.

However, translations of the Quran which don’t include Arabic text are usually considered acceptable to read without performing wudu.

And of course, reciting the Quran from memory is also considered acceptable without performing wudu.