Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(60): "Proposed Amendments to the Articles of Orphans' Custody Law"

Date Added : 24-02-2016

 

Resolution No.(60): "Proposed Amendments to the Articles of Orphans` Custody Law"

Date: 23/3/1423 A.H, corresponding to 5/6/2002.

 

We have received the following question:

Could you please clarify the ruling of Sharia as regards the custody project, and any recommended amendments that you deem necessary?

Answer: All success is due to Allah.

Article (4): "The couple must be Muslims."

The Board decided that this article should be amended as follows:

"The couple must be Muslims, and five years must have passed over their embracing Islam, in case they were new Muslim converts."

Article (7): "The Minster of Social Development may approve a custody order based on the recommendations of the Ministry`s Secretary-General and the Director of Family and Children Directorate."

The Board decided amending this paragraph as follows:

"A technical committee, presided by the Director of the Technical Directorate, should be formed, including a deputy from the Department of the Supreme Judge and the Ministry of Interior to review the custody orders submitted by the families, the needed documents, and to conduct the interviews. The committee should refer its recommendations to the Secretary-General in order for him to recommend that the Minister approves of them."

The family taking custody of an orphan is accountable for the following:

A- It should provide the child under its custody with the various forms of social care, namely the alternative parental raising, medical treatment, education, outlay, and the like; provided that these are verified by the case study, which should be conducted before and after the child is taken under custody.

B- It should enjoy the capacity to provide the right orientation to the child under its custody in the various aspects of life so that he relies on himself afterwards.

C- It is imperative that the family informs the Ministry about any changes concerning its place of residence as well as its relationship with the child under its custody.

The Board decided that these articles should be amended as follows:

A- The family should provide the child under its custody with the various forms of familial care, namely the alternative parental rearing, medical treatment, education, outlay, and the like; provided that these are verified by the case study, which should be conducted before and after the child is taken under custody.

B- The family should enjoy the capacity to provide the right orientation to the child to face the different conditions of life to be able to rely on himself.

C- Informing the Ministry about any changes concerning the family`s place of residence as well as its relationship with the child under its custody.

Article (10): Termination of Custody:

Article (D) Death of a spouse or both of them, which drives their relatives to file for the termination of the custody, indicating their unwillingness to take care of the fostered child.

The Board decided amending this article as follows:

In case either spouses or one of them died, it is permissible for a relative of theirs to file a new custody request through the observed channels.

The Board also decided adding the following items to article (10):

(H) Apostasy of either spouses or one of them.

(W) Failure to meet any of the fostering conditions

*PS: Items not related to the rules of Islamic Sharia were not translated because they focus on the correction of punctuation and grammar mistakes in the original Arabic text. And Allah Knows Best.

Iftaa` Board
Chairman of the Board, Chief Justice Sheikh Ezuldeen Attamimi
Dr. Abdulsalam Alabbadi           
Dr. Mohammad Alyahia         
Sheikh Sa`eid Hijjawi      
Sheikh Na`eim Mujahid         
Sheikh Mahmoud Shewayaat                  
Dr. Wasif Albakhri

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on fasting for those with diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, or ulcers?

● A sick person who is completely unable to fast is exempted from fasting and must offer fidyah (feeding a needy person), as Allah Almighty says {what means}: "and [in such cases] it is incumbent upon those who can afford it to make sacrifice by feeding a needy person." [Al-Baqarah/184]. They are not required to make up for the missed fasts.
● A sick person who can fast on some days but not others should fast when able and make up the missed days after Ramadan when possible. No fidyah is required in this case.
● If fasting during the long, hot summer days is too difficult for a sick person, but they can make up the fasts during the shorter, cooler winter days, they should break their fast and make up for it when they are able, without fidyah.

Is Zakah (obligatory charity) due on owned land?

Zakah is due on the land used as an article of merchandise and was originally bought for that end. Zakah is due on it at the end of every lunar year. Its value is estimated, and (2.5%) of the total value of all such lands owned by the questioner is given as Zakah. However, no Zakah is due on the land used for building a house, or an agricultural purpose.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law regarding one who slaughters a ewe and it turns out to have been pregnant, and is it permissible to slaughter the ewe if one knows it is pregnant?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
If a person slaughters a ewe and it turns out to have been pregnant, the fetus becomes lawful (ḥalāl) by virtue of its mother's slaughter (tabaʿan li-ummihā).
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.6/P.158): "A fetus found dead [after the mother's slaughter], or found alive but in a state resembling that of a slaughtered animal [i.e., dying shortly after], becomes lawful — whether or not it had grown fur — provided it is found in the womb of a mother that was lawfully slaughtered, whether her slaughter was by cutting the throat, or by an arrow or hunting dog sent after her. This is based on the ḥadīth: 'The slaughtering of the fetus is [effected by] the slaughtering of its mother' [narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who graded it ḥasan, and by Ibn Ḥibbān, who graded it ṣaḥīḥ] — meaning that the slaughter which rendered the mother lawful renders the fetus lawful as well, by virtue of following her; and because the fetus is one of her constituent parts, and her slaughter renders lawful all of her parts."
This ruling differs, however, from the case of one who knows from the outset that the ewe is pregnant [and intends to sacrifice her specifically as the udḥiyah while pregnant] — in which case, according to the Shāfi'ī school, she does not fulfill the requirement of a valid sacrifice.
It is stated in Ḥāshiyat al-Bujayrimī 'alā al-Khaṭīb (Vol.4/P.335): "A pregnant animal does not fulfill the requirement [of a valid sacrifice], and this is the authoritative position (al-mu'tamad), because pregnancy diminishes the quality of the meat. As for why such an animal is nevertheless counted as complete [i.e., fully valid] in matters of zakāh, that is because the intent there is reproduction (nasl), not the quality of the meat.". And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

Who is the one required to slaughter the 'aqīqah?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is Sunnah for the 'aqīqah to be slaughtered by the guardian of the newborn — the one upon whom the child's financial maintenance is obligatory — provided he is financially capable of doing so. 'Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed the 'aqīqah for al-Ḥasan with one sheep." — Narrated by al-Tirmidhī. And Allah Almighty knows best.