Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(179): "Ruling on Giving up Fast by Sportsmen"

Date Added : 17-11-2015

Resolution No.(179)(11/2012) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Giving up Fast by Sportsmen"

Date: 28/8/1433 AH, corresponding to 18/7/2012 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.

On the above date, the Board reviewed the following question:

Is it permissible for sportsmen to give up fasting in order to take part in competitions?

After researching and deliberating, the Board decided what follows:

It is not permissible for sportsmen to give up fasting in order to take part in competitions because  it isn’t one of the Sharia-approved excuses. Allah Has Said (what means): "Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting." {Al-Baqarah/185}. Since fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam, it is obligatory for everyone who is competent for religious assignments and has the ability to carry them out. Therefore, such people have to reorganize their priorities to be able to observe the obligatory fast.

It is impermissible to give priority to sport events over a pillar of Islam; particularly since it is possible to hold competitions in Muslim countries  after Maghrib time, or to arrive at a certain arrangement with the sport officials of the non-Muslim countries in order to make it possible for the Muslim competitors to observe obligatory fast.

If the competitor has experienced unusual hardship because he had to take part in that competition, then he is allowed to break his fast. However, that doesn`t exempt him from making the intention to fast and to actually observe the fast of each day of Ramadan from its beginning. If he experiences unusual hardship, then he is allowed to break his fast, but he should make up the missed days later.

However, if the sportsman was travelling for a long distance-more than (81km.) - then he is allowed to break his fast during the time of his travel, although it is better for him not to break his fast, since Allah, The Almighty, Says (What means): "For those who can do it (With hardship), is a ransom, the feeding of one that is indigent. But he that will give more, of his own free will,- it is better for him. And it is better for you that ye fast, if ye only knew." {Al-Baqarah/184}. If he broke his fast, then he is obliged to make it up later, as indicated by the following verse: "(Fasting) for a fixed number of days; but if any of you is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed number (Should be made up) from days later." {Al-Baqarah/184}. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Chairman of the General Iftaa` Board, His grace the Mufti General of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Sheikh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh

Sheikh Sa`ied Hijjawi/ Member

Prof. Abdulsalam Al-Abbadi/ Member

Prof. Mohammad Al-Khwdah/Member

Prof. Abdul N`nassir Abu-Al-bas`sal/Member

Dr.Yahia Al-Boutoosh/Member

Dr. Wasif Al-Bakhri/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Az`zoubi/ Member

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on Qonot Du`a (supplication) at dawn prayer?

All perfect praise be to Allah,The Lord of The Worlds                                                                                                                                                                        It is a confirmed Sunnah, and whoever leaves it should perform Sujood As-Sahw (prostration of forgetfulness). And Allah Knows Best.

In the Sharia-compliant viewing  at a prospective bride (*al-naẓrah al-sharʿiyyah*), is it permissible for the man to see the woman without a veil (*ḥijāb*)?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is sunnah for the suitor to see the woman he is seeking to marry within the limits the Sharīʿah permits, namely looking at the face and the hands (palms and backs), based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “Look at her, for it is more likely to bring about harmony between you.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhī.
The suitor may also ask one of the women to look at the woman he is seeking to marry. In that case, she is permitted to see of her what she is normally permitted to see, which is not limited to the face and hands, and she then describes these matters to the suitor. It is narrated on the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Umm Sulaym to look at a girl, and said: “Smell her breath, and look at her heels.” Narrated by Aḥmad in his Musnad.
It is stated in Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj (Vol.7/p.192): “For one who cannot easily look, or does not wish to look himself, it is sunnah to send someone who is permitted to look at her, to observe her and describe her to him, even regarding what he himself is not permitted to look at. He thereby gains through the sending what he would not gain through looking. Because of the added need for this, it is excepted from the prohibition of a woman describing another woman to a man.”
The permissibility of looking is conditional upon his resolve to marry her once he is able to, his predominant assumption that his proposal will be accepted, and his assumption that the woman is free of marriage and of a waiting period (ʿiddah). Otherwise, looking is forbidden.
Accordingly, it is not permissible for the suitor to look at anything other than the face and hands. He may ask one of his maḥram women, such as his mother or sister, to see the woman unveiled, and the Sharia-compliant viewing (of a prospective bride) must take place in the presence of one of the woman’s maḥrams. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on Zakat al-Fitr?

Zakat al-Fitr is obligatory upon every Muslim for themselves and for those they are financially responsible for, provided they possess wealth that is surplus to their and their family's needs on the night and day of Eid.
Ibn Umar reported: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ made Zakat al-Fitr obligatory—one sa‘ (measure) of dates or one sa‘ of barley—upon every Muslim, whether slave or free, male or female, young or old." [Narrated by Al-Bukhari]
Its estimated amount is approximately 2,500 grams of wheat or rice, and the General Iftaa` Department issues an annual ruling specifying its monetary value.

What is the semi-circular structure attached to the Holy Kabah?

The semi-circular structure attached to the Holy Kabah is Hijr Al-Kabah (is a low wall originally part of the Kabah) and passing behind it is an obligation while making Tawaf because it is a part of the Holy Kabah. And Allah Knows Best.