As-salamu 'alaykum The paper that is mentioned in the fiqh books is paper that is used for reading/writing. There is nothing wrong with using paper that is made for the purpose of taharat, some says, it is even better and more preferred to use it (along with water), as it gives a better cleansing which is the goal of making taharat. This is what my teacher, Mufti Sayyid Ghulam Mustafa (may Allah preserve him) told us about the passage where paper is mentioned between the makruh things in taharat. Allah Hafiz Ibn Amin
It is tahrimi makruh to make an istinja with bones, food, manure, bricks, pieces of pots or glass, coal, animal food, others' possessions, costly things such as silk, things thrown away from mosques, zamzam water, leaves and paper (excluding toilet paper). Even a blank piece of paper must be respected. It is permissible to make an istinja with pieces of paper or newspapers containing terrestrial names or writings that have nothing to do with the din.
