Question Summary:
Is it permissible to throw away CD’s/ MP3’s etc. which contain Qur’an recitation or Islamic songs?

Question Detail:

Is it permissible to throw away CD's/ MP3's or any other forms of storage devices such as Flash drives, DVD's or iPods (that don't work) which contain Qiraat or songs with Allah's (SWT) name?
The reason being that they
a) Don't work or
b) The file doesn't play properly because of a scratched disc.

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

When a Qur’ān copy becomes (so) old that it is no longer legible, then it should be wrapped up (in some cloth) and buried like a (deceased) Muslim. This is done to honor the Qur’an.
CDs, DVDs and other electronic mediums are not the same as a printed medium. In the printed medium, Qur’an is secured through writing of the Ayāt, while in other mediums this is not the case. Audio CDs like a vinyl record (i.e gramophone record) make use of the grooved linings (known as “pits” and “lands”) which are digitally read by a laser and then encoded to reproduce audio frequency.
Similarly in flash disk drives, SD memory cards (including all variants), Data CDs and DVDs (including all different formats) and portable hard disk drive including many other forms of data retention devices keep audios in many different formats (mp3, mp2, aac, amr, au, ram etc). However all these formats essentially retain a compressed form of raw binary data, which when played with the device gets decoded to relay audio frequency.
In all these formats Qur’an is not recorded down in its original form. If we were to microscopically view the data, we would not see the Arabic script written down. Hence the normal rules which are attached to a printed Qur’an or Islamic material will not apply to these digital formats.
It will be permissible to throw such devices and CDs away provided that nothing from the Qur’an or from the names of Allah etc. is printed or displayed on it. However, since these devices were used to record the Quran, they should be respectfully disposed off.
If something from Qur’an is visible on the device or CD etc. then one should wrap these items in a cloth and bury them. [1] If one in not able to bury these CDs then as a final resort they can be shredded and discarded. Electronic devices such as iPod etc. always have a market for spares. One can disable the device and salvage it for spares.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mawlana Faisal bin Abdul Hameed
Student, Darul Iftaa
Canada
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net