Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(129): “Re-evaluation of the Amount of Diyah”

Date Added : 27-10-2015

 

Resolution No.(129),(7/2009): “Re-evaluation of the Amount of Diya”

Date: 1/8/1430 AH, corresponding to 23/7/2009 AD.

 

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

During its third session held on the above date, the Board of Iftaa reviewed the amount of Diya in light of the change in the value of camels in Jordanian currency, because twenty-one years passed over the last evaluation, which took place on 9/11/1408 AH, corresponding to 23/6/1988 AD.

 

After thorough studying and deliberating, the Board decided what follows:

 

First: In principle, the Diya is a hundred camels whose ages vary in accordance with the type of killing: premeditated murder, quasi-intentional murder, or accidental killing. In accidental killing, the Diya is a hundred camels: Thirty Bint Makkah, thirty Bint Labun, thirty Hiqqah and ten Bin Labun. This Diya is softened from three aspects: it is due on the killer`s Aqila (Male relatives of the killer from his father`s side), it is divided over three years, and the ages of the camels. In premeditated murder and quasi-intentional murder, the amount of the Diya is a hundred camels: thirty Hiqqah, thirty Bint Labun, and Khilfah. On the other hand, the Diya in quasi-intentional murder is softened from two aspects: it is due on the killer`s Aqila and divided over three years; whereas, it is more dense from one aspect, and that is the ages of the camels.

The Diya in premeditated murder is more dense from three aspects: due immediately, due from the killer`s wealth, and the ages of the camels.

The evaluation of Diya in a form other than camels relied on the value of camels. It was narrated from 'Amr bin Shu'aib, from his father, from his grandfather, that the Messenger of Allah said: "Whoever is killed by mistake, his ransom is one hundred camels: Thirty Bint Makkah, thirty Bint Labun, thirty Hiqqah and ten Bin Labun. "[1] The Messenger of Allah used to fix the value (of the Diya for accidental killing) among town-dwellers at four hundred Dinars or the equivalent value in silver. When he calculated the price in terms of people with camels (for Bedouin), it would vary from one time to another. When prices rose, the value in Dinars would rise, and when prices fell the value in Dinars would fall. At the time of the Messenger of Allah, the value was between four hundred and eight hundred Dinars, or the equivalent value in silver, eight thousand Dirhams. And the Messenger of Allah ruled that if a person's blood money was paid in cattle, among those who kept cattle, the amount was two hundred cows; and if a person's blood money was paid in sheep, among this who kept sheep, the value was two thousand sheep. The Messenger of Allah ruled that the blood money is part of the estate, to be divided among the heirs of the victim according to their allotted shares, and whatever is left over is for the 'Asabah. And the Messenger of Allah ruled that if a woman commits murder then he 'Asahah, whoever they may be, must pay the blood money, but they do not inherit anything except that which is left over from her heirs; if a woman is killed then her blood money is to be shared among her heirs, and they may kill her killer.” [Sunn Abu Dawood], [Sunn Al-Nisa'ee].

Second: As camels aren`t the common property of the people of Jordan, the Board believes that their prices should be estimated in Jordanian currency in order to facilitate for the people to pay the Diyah. The prices of camels can be obtained from the neighboring Islamic countries where camels are common.

Third: The Grand Mufti of Jordan has sent a message to the Chairman of the Islamic Fiqh Academy in Sudan inquiring about the prices of camels there. The latter has formed a committee to that end and informed the Grand Mufti about their prices. It was made clear to us that a hundred camels in addition to the transport fair equal twenty thousand Jordanian Dinars as regards the Diya in accidental killing, and twenty five thousand Jordanian Dinars for that in premeditated and Quasi-intentional killings. Therefore, the Board holds the view that the Diya of whoever is killed by mistake is twenty thousand Jordanian Dinars and twenty five thousand for whoever is killed intentionally or Quasi-intentionally.

Fourth: The Board stresses that the Diya in accidental and quasi-intentional killings is due on the killer`s Aqila; whereas, in premeditated murder it is due from the killer`s wealth.

Fifth: The Board stresses that it is impermissible for the family of the killed to demand both Qisas (Retaliation) and Diya. If Qisas was executed in case of premeditated murder, then no Diya is due on the killer.

Sixth: Recipients of the Diyah may waive their right to take it since Almighty Allah Has Urged Muslims to be forgiving. Whereas, He Says (What means): “And the remission (of the man’s half) is the nearest to righteousness.“ {Al-Baqara/237}. However, none may waive the right of minors in the Diya and such an act isn`t considered lawful.

Seventh: The Diya becomes part of the killed person`s estate and so it should be divided in accordance with the rulings of Sharia on inheritance. And Allah Knows Best.

 

The Grand Mufti of Jordan

                   Chairman of the Iftaa` Board,  Dr. Nooh al-Qhodat

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

                                   Sheikh Abdulkareem al-Khasawneh/ Member

         Sheikh Sa`eid Hijjawi/ Member

                        Dr. Muhammad Khair Al-'Eisa/Member

Judge Sari Attia/Member

              Dr. Abdul-Rahman Ibdah/Member

                           Dr. Muhammad Aiqla Al-Ibrahim/Member

                     Dr. Abdul Naser Abu Al-Basal/Member

                                               Executive Secretary of the Iftaa' Board Dr. Muhammad Al-Khalyla 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

How is night prayer offered?

Night prayer is offering voluntary prayer after Maghrib and before Fajr (Dawn). As for Tahajjud, it is offering voluntary prayer at night after waking up voluntarily, and for Allah`s sake as He Says (What means): "And pray in the small watches of the morning: (it would be) an additional prayer (or spiritual profit) for thee: soon will thy Lord raise thee to a Station of Praise and Glory!" [Al-Isra`/79]. Offering Tahajjud is better than offering voluntary prayer before going to bed.

When does the time for the Fajr prayer begin?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The time for the Fajr prayer begins once the Mu’adhin starts the second Adhan (Al-Adhan al-Thani), and not after the first Adhan. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

Is it permissible to agree with a butcher to purchase the meat of an animal after it has been slaughtered — for instance, by buying the meat of a sheep at a price determined by the weight of its meat following slaughter, at a fixed rate per kilogram? And what is the ruling if the animal is being purchased with the intention of it being an uḍḥiyyah (sacrificial offering)?

 
 
 
 
 

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is not permissible to sell livestock in the manner of pricing each kilogram of meat after slaughter at a fixed rate, because the meat within the animal prior to slaughter is unseen and unknown. This leads to jahālah (ignorance of the subject matter) and gharar (contractual uncertainty), both of which are among the invalidating factors in sales transactions.
However, it is permissible for the buyer to issue a promise to purchase the meat of the animal after slaughter at a specified price per kilogram, with the actual sale being concluded at the time of weighing the meat — at which point both the quantity of the goods and the total price become known. There is no Sharī'ah objection to this arrangement.
The jurists have stipulated that for a sale to be valid, both countervalues must be present and observable. Al-Khaṭīb al-Shirbīnī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states:
"It is valid to sell a heap of grain whose total measure is unknown to both contracting parties at a rate of one sā' per dirham. This sale is valid because the subject of sale is present and observable, and ignorance of the total price is not harmful since it is known in detail — and uncertainty is thereby lifted."— [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol.2/P.355]
As for the uḍḥiyyah, the 'aqīqah, and vowed blood sacrifices (al-dam al-mandhūr) — full ownership of the animal must be established prior to slaughter. It is not valid for such animals to be slaughtered while still in the ownership of the butcher. Rather, the animal must be purchased alive and then slaughtered with the intention of uḍḥiyyah or the like. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on speaking while relieving oneself?

It is disliked for one relieving himself to speak while doing so, except out of necessity. And Allah the Almighty knows best.