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Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No. (264): "Prohibition of Building Graveyard from Mosque`s Donations"

Date Added : 05-09-2018

Resolution No. (264) by the Board of Iftaa', Research and Islamic Studies:

"Prohibition of  Building Graveyard from Mosque`s Donations"

Date: (18/Thu Al-Hijjah/1439 AD), corresponding to (30/8/2018AH).

 

On its eleventh session held on the above date, the Board reviewed the letter sent from His Excellency, the Mayor of Barqash Municipality, and it read as follow: 

I have enclosed a letter from the Chairman of Khfur Rakeb`s Local Council in which he requested the ruling of Sharia on deducting a certain amount-from the donations raised in favor of Mos`ab Ibn Umayer's Mosque-to build an Islamic graveyard in that area since the old one is overcrowded. 
After prolonged deliberations, the Board decided the following:
It is impermissible to spend the donations in a purpose other than that for which they were raised since Mosques' Committees are entrusted with spending donations in the exact disbursement channel for which they were collected in the first place. This is because, Allah, The Most Exalted, Said (What means): "God doth command you to render back your Trusts to those to whom they are due" [An-Nisa' 58]. In conclusion, donations made in favor of the mosque should only be spent for the benefit of the mosque itself and spending them in building a graveyard is prohibited. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Chairperson of Iftaa` Board,Grand Mufti of Jordan,

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh

Sheikh Sa`eid Al-Hijjawi, Member

Prof. Abdullah Al-Fawaaz, Member

Dr. Muhammad Khair Al-Issa, Member

Dr. Majid Al-Darawsheh, Member

Prof. Adam Noah/ Member

Judge. Khaled Al-Wrikat

Dr. Ahmad Al-Hasanat, Member

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on giving Zakat al-Fitr in cash?

The default ruling is that Zakat al-Fitr should be given as the staple food of the land. In Jordan, for example, the staple food is wheat or rice, and the amount of Zakat al-Fitr is 2,500 grams per person. It is easy to give this amount of rice to the poor and needy, and this is the correct ruling according to all Islamic schools of thought.
However, Hanafi scholars have permitted giving Zakat al-Fitr as monetary value, considering it more beneficial for the poor and easier for the giver.

What is the ruling on sacrificing a castrated animal or one with a missing tail?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is permissible to sacrifice a castrated sheep; as it has been established that the Prophet (peace be upon him) sacrificed:
 
"...two large, fat, horned, white-and-black, castrated rams (Mawju'ayn—meaning having crushed testicles)." [Narrated by Ibn Majah in his Sunan].
 
It is not permissible to sacrifice an animal that is missing its tail, or udder due to being cut off. This is in contrast to an animal that was naturally born without a tail, or udder; such an animal is valid for sacrifice. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Can Zakah or Zakat al-Fitr be given to a poor brother?

Yes, it is allowed to give Zakah or Zakat al-Fitr to a poor brother, as he is considered among the eligible recipients.

What is the ruling on someone who possesses gold with the intention of saving/hoarding it, and owns nothing else — is he obligated to sell a portion of it in order to pay the zakāh due on it?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Zakāh becomes immediately obligatory on cash, and likewise on gold — that which is not designated for a woman's personal adornment— once both reach the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for zakah) and a full ḥawl (lunar year) has passed over them. It is not permissible to delay payment when it is genuinely possible to pay — meaning, when the wealth and the eligible recipients are both available. It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.2/p.129): "Zakāh is obligatory immediately once it becomes feasible to pay it, meaning when the wealth and the eligible recipients are both present."
The one paying zakāh must discharge the obligatory zakāh due on saved (hoarded) gold either from the gold itself, or from its equivalent monetary value, in the event that no other funds are available — since paying from the gold itself is the original default (al-aṣl). It becomes permissible to pay from other funds instead only because zakāh is built upon the principle of ease and leniency, as stated in Asnā al-Maṭālib (Vol.1/p.366): "When a full ḥawl has elapsed on wealth other than trade goods... zakāh attaches to the actual asset itself (al-‘ayn), and the poor effectively become partners in it — even, for example, [becoming partners] in camels through the value of a sheep [owed as zakāh on them]... Paying from other wealth is permitted only because zakāh is built upon the principle of ease and leniency."
Accordingly: the one paying zakāh must discharge it either from the actual saved gold itself, or by selling a portion of the gold equal to the amount of zakāh owed. He may also borrow money to pay the zakāh, or pay the zakāh in installments before the ḥawl is complete [as an advance payment]. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

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