Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(152): "Ruling on Tubal Ligation and Aborting some Embryos to Save others"

Date Added : 02-11-2015

 

Resolution No.(152) (17/2010)  by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Tubal Ligation and Aborting some Embryos to Save others"

Date: 2/9/1431 AH, corresponding to 12/8/2010 AD.

 

 

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds; and may his peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

During its ninth session held on the above given date, the Board reviewed the following medical questions:

Question No.(1): A thirty-two-year old female patient, who has two kids, underwent endometrial resection due to recurrent bleeding. Although it is a contraceptive procedure, there is a possibility that a part of the endometrium could remain untouched. Therefore, if an ovum gets stuck in that part, it will lead to many complications, such as the placenta accrete. Thus, is it permissible to carry out tubal ligation for this patient as a contraceptive measure and to prevent the aforementioned complications?

Answer: The Sharia principle established by the evidences from the Noble Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah is that it is forbidden to use any permanent contraceptives that lead to ending one`s offspring. It has been reported by Bukhari and Muslim that the Prophet (PBUH) forbade self castration; therefore, the same rule applies to every means that stops giving birth completely or removes desire, even under the pretext of poverty or unwillingness to have children.

Urgent cases are exempted from the aforementioned rule (forbiddance); therefore, once it has been established by doctors that the pregnancy of a certain woman will jeopardize her life or inflict great damage to her health-only then-there is no harm in conducting tubal ligation.

Accordingly, conducting tubal ligation in the above mentioned case is permissible in order to rescue that woman from an imminent danger in case she became pregnant, as determined by trustworthy doctors.

Question (2): A forty-two-year old female patient who has three boys and two girls, and is thirty three weeks pregnant. She, along with her husband, is willing to undergo tubal ligation while giving birth in case the fetus remained in breech position and can be delivered only through a caesarean. It is worth mentioning that the fetus is inflicted with a congenital condition, which is the smallness of the left ventricle. It is a kind of deformation that usually leads to the death of the fetus after its delivery. She also suffers from general fatigue and high blood pressure. 

Answer: In this case, tubal ligation is impermissible because the pregnancy doesn`t jeopardize  the mother`s life and there are other methods of birth control which are easier, more available and don`t have complications that could lead to ending birth giving, according to the opinion of specialized doctors.

Question (3): A woman got pregnant by undergoing (IVF), or (test-tube-baby). After three months, it turned out that she was pregnant with seven embryos. Is it permissible to abort some of them by a lethal injection so as for others to be saved and delivered naturally?

Answer: If this large number of embryos causes serious complications to the mother or endangers her life or-mostly- aborts all the embryos, then there is no harm in aborting some of them to ward off these dangers. And Allah Knows Best.

 

 

Head of the Iftaa` Board, The Grand Mufti of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, His Grace Sheikh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh

Vice Head of the Iftaa` Board, Dr. Ahmad Hilayel

Dr. Yahia Al-Botoosh/ Member

His Eminence, Sheikh Sa`ied Hijjawi/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-Essa

Judge Sarrie Attieh

Dr. Abdulrahman Ibbdah/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Oklah/ Member

Dr. Abduln`nassir Abu Al Bass`al/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Gharaibeh/ Member

Executive Secretary of the Iftaa` board, Dr. Ahmad Al-Has`sanat

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible to eat from an Udhiyah slaughtered on behalf of a deceased person?

Praise be to Allah, and prayers and peace be upon our Master the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is permissible to eat from the sacrifice (uḍḥiyyah) that is offered on behalf of a deceased person. This is the madhhab (school of thought) of the Hanbalis. In this case, the heirs take the place of the deceased as if he were alive, with the same rights to eat from it, give it in charity, and offer it as a gift.
 
It is stated in Maṭālib Uli al-Nuhā (Vol.2/P.472): "Offering a sacrifice on behalf of a deceased person is better than offering one on behalf of a living person, because the deceased is unable (to perform deeds) and is in need of reward. It is to be treated like a sacrifice on behalf of a living person in terms of eating, giving charity, and giving gifts." And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on eating or drinking during the second Adhan?

It is not permissible to eat or drink during the second Adhan because it announces the break of dawn and the obligation to start fasting. Allah Almighty says {what means}:"and eat and drink until you can discern the white streak of dawn against the blackness of night." [Al-Baqarah/187].
Whoever eats or drinks during this time invalidates their fast, and they must refrain from eating for the rest of the day and make up for the missed fast later.

 

Is it valid to have Suhoor before sleeping, even if it is before midnight?

Suhoor refers to the pre-dawn meal eaten after midnight to help a Muslim endure fasting. The closer it is to Fajr, the better.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "My Ummah will remain upon goodness as long as they hasten to break the fast and delay Suhoor." [Narrated by Ahmad]
This is because delaying Suhoor makes it more effective in providing strength for worship. However, if there is a risk of Fajr entering while eating, one should refrain from Suhoor out of caution. 
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt." [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi]

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
There is no objection to participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers, provided that the buyer's intention in purchasing is not merely to enter the competition without any need for what is bought — rather, the purchase must be genuinely intended for the item itself, and one must not pay more than the item's fair market price. This is because paying an amount above the market price would effectively be paying a fee to enter the prize draw, which would render it a form of gambling (qimār).
These prizes are, in essence, gifts that businesses offer through a random drawing (qur'ah) to those who purchase from them, as a means of encouraging sales, without the customer bearing any additional monetary cost for participation. So long as the aforementioned conditions are met, there is no objection to benefiting from the prize offered by the store, as it is considered a lawful prize from the viewpoint of Islamic Law.
It is stated in the resolutions of the "Jordanian Iftaa' Board" (Resolution No. 47), in the context of outlining the conditions for permissible prizes: "The price of the ticket [or item purchased] for the sake of the prize must not exceed its original price, so that there is no payment of money in exchange for participation in the draw." And Allah, the Most High, knows best.