Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(76): “Ruling on the Financing System for the Housing of the General Corporation of Social Security Employees on Basis of Islamic Murabaha in Favor of the One Ordering the Purchase“

Date Added : 02-11-2015

 

Resolution No.(76) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies: 

 "Ruling on the Financing System for the Housing of the General Corporation of Social Security Employees on Basis of Islamic Murabaha in Favor of the One Ordering the Purchase“

Date: 13/4/1425 AH, corresponding to 2/6/2004 AD.    

 

 

Question:

To how extent do the regulations pertaining to the financing of the housing of the General Corporation of Social Security employees agree with the rules of Islamic Sharia?

Answer: All success is due to Allah.

After careful study and deliberation, the Board made the following remarks:

Article (2) defines the one ordering the purchase,  or a  purchaser as: The General Manager/employee. The Board recommends deleting the word (purchaser), whether it comes alone or accompanied by (the one ordering the purchase). It also recommends defining (the one ordering the purchase) as every employee of the General Corporation of Social Security.

Article (9/D) states: “After presenting the irrevocable power of attorney and a letter from the concerned Directorate of Lands Registration indicating that the estate is free of any rights that hinder disposing of it, the Social Security Corporation shall issue a letter of promise to the landlord , whereby it pledges to pay off the agreed upon price.”

 

The Board is of the view that the irrevocable power of attorney doesn`t mean that the authorized has actually possessed the estate, which makes this contract in contradiction with the rules of Sharia which prohibit selling an item that isn`t in the sellers` possession; therefore, the item must get possessed and guaranteed by the one ordered  to purchase it, then transferred, through a valid sale contract, to the possession of the one ordering the purchase. Moreover, in order for this proxy to become tantamount to possessing the estate, it should clearly stipulate that the Social Security Corporation shall guarantee the purchased estate completely. Therefore, the Board is of the view that clause (D) of article (9) should read as follows:

“Issuing a promissory letter by the Social Security Corporation to the landlord whereby it shall guarantee settling the agreed upon price after presenting the irrevocable power of attorney, which must state clearly that the Corporation shall guarantee the purchased estate completely, and a letter from the concerned Lands` Registration Directorate indicating that the estate is free of any rights that hinder disposing of it.”

 

It is permissible for the Corporation to ratify the irrevocable power of attorney enclosed with the regulations pertaining to the financing system of the housing of the Corporation`s employees since it clearly states that the Corporation shall guarantee the purchased estate completely, and in order to become permissible in Sharia once the item, ordered to be purchased {Murabaha}, becomes in the possession and guarantee of the Corporation. This is also because the temporary law pertaining to the immovable property, 26/2003, issued on 16/4/2003 has been included within item (4) of clause (o), article (11): stipulates that an authorized person, or any other party may not initiate any action whatsoever, including  the execution of immovable properties included within the irrevocable power of attorney after its inscription in the trade register of these properties at the concerned lands` registration department.

Article (4/A) states: “Housing financing through Murabaha shall be granted after two years pass over the classification of an employee of the Corporation.”

The Board recommends replacing the word (classification) with the word (recruitment).

Article (8/A&B) include grammatical mistakes that must be corrected. And Allah Knows Best.

 

 

Iftaa` Board

Chairman of the Iftaa` Board, Chief Justice, Izzaldeen Al-Tamimi

Dr. Wasif Al-Bakhri

Dr. Abdulmajeed Al-Salaheen

Dr. Abdullah Al-Manasrah

Sheikh Sae`id Hijjawi

Sheikh Nae`im Mujahid

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on using the *subḥah* (prayer beads) to count during *tasbīḥ* and *dhikr*?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is recommended to use the ordinary or electronic subḥah (prayer beads or counter) to count tasbīḥ, dhikr, and istighfār, because it helps one to remember Allah. Many reports have been transmitted from the Companions and the Followers (tābiʿūn) showing that they continued to use strings of date pits as an aid to dhikr and tasbīḥ.
It is one of the lawful means of worship. Indeed, what is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), namely that he counted tasbīḥ on his right hand, shows that it is permissible to count tasbīḥ with whatever helps a Muslim keep track of the number. There is therefore no basis for calling it an innovation (bidʿah), and we know of no jurist who said so.
Al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Suyūṭī (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote a dedicated treatise on the subject titled al-Minḥah fī al-Subḥah, printed within al-Ḥāwī li’l-Fatāwī (vol. 4–6).
Shaykh al-Islām Imam Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: Does the subḥah have a basis in the Sunnah? He replied: “Yes, and al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Suyūṭī wrote on this. Among the evidence is what is authentically reported from Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both): ‘I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) counting tasbīḥ on his hand.’ Ibn Abī Shaybah, Abū Dāwūd, and al-Tirmidhī also narrated: ‘Hold fast to tasbīḥ, tahlīl, and taqdīs, and do not be heedless, lest you forget the affirmation of Allah’s oneness (tawḥīd). Count them on the fingertips, for they will be questioned and made to speak.’ Counting tasbīḥ with pebbles, date pits, and a knotted string has also been reported from a group of the Companions and those after them. Some scholars held that counting on the fingertips is better than the subḥah, based on the ḥadīth of Ibn ʿUmar. Others distinguished, saying: if the one reciting is safe from miscounting, counting on the fingertips is better; otherwise the subḥah is better.” [al-Fatāwā al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kubrā, Vol.1/p.152]. And Allah Almighty knows best.

Is "Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm" a verse (āyah) of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The basmalah ("Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm") is, without question, a verse (āyah) of the Noble Qur'an, and according to the Shāfi‘ī school, it constitutes a verse of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah itself. Al-Fātiḥah is a pillar of the prayer, and it consists of seven verses, of which the basmalah is one. The prayer is not valid without reciting it, nor if any of the Fātiḥah's verses, letters, or shaddahs (consonant doublings) are omitted or altered.
It is stated in Bushrā al-Karīm (Vol.1/p.202), from the books of the Shāfi‘ī school: "The basmalah is a complete verse of it [i.e., of al-Fātiḥah] in practice — and it suffices, for this to be established, that there be strong probability (ẓann), especially given that this has come very close to certainty (yaqīn), due to the consensus (ijmā‘) of the Companions on its inclusion in the muṣ-ḥaf [the written text of the Qur'an] in its script, despite their extreme diligence in excluding from it anything that did not genuinely belong to it — to the point that they even [carefully regulated] its diacritical dots and vowel markings." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on fasting the six days of Shawwal?

Fasting the six days of Shawwal is Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever fasts Ramadan and then follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if they have fasted for a lifetime." [Narrated by Muslim]
This is because fasting one month of Ramadan is rewarded as fasting for ten months, and the six days are equivalent to sixty days, completing a full year of fasting.

What is the ruling on the follower`s prayer if the Imam stands for a fifth rak`ah?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
If the Imam stands up for an extra unit (rak‘ah) of prayer out of forgetfulness, he must return to the sitting position as soon as he remembers, and he should perform the prostration of forgetfulness (Sujud al-Sahw). It is the duty of the congregants (Ma’mumin) behind him to remind him. However, if the Imam is in a state of doubt regarding the extra unit (and not certainty), it is not permissible for him to return.
 
As for the congregants: anyone who is certain that the Imam has stood for an extra unit is forbidden from following him. In this case, the follower has two choices: either intend to separate from the Imam (Mufaraqah) and finish the prayer alone, or wait for the Imam in the sitting position and perform the final salams with him—the latter being the preferred option. If a follower knowingly follows the Imam into an extra unit, their prayer becomes invalid. However, if a follower is in doubt and not certain of the mistake, they must continue following the Imam, as the Imam was appointed to be followed.
 
It is stated in Al-Majmu’ (Vol.4/P.145): 'If [the Imam] stands for a fifth rak‘ah, the follower should not follow him, even if it is assumed that the Imam might have omitted a pillar from a previous unit; because if the reality is known, following him is impermissible since the follower has certainly completed their own prayer. Even if the follower had missed a previous unit (Masbuq) or was in doubt about performing a pillar like the Fatihah, and the Imam stood for the fifth, it is not permissible for the latecomer to follow him in it. This is because we know that this unit is not counted for the Imam and that he is mistaken in performing it.' And Allah the Exalted knows best.