Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(274): "Ruling on a Financial Donation Given to Orphans Fund Development Foundation"

Date Added : 01-05-2019

Resolution No.(274) (7/2019)By The Board of Iftaa', Researches anad Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on a Financial Donation Given to Orphans Fund Development Foundation"

Date: (19/Sha`ban/1440 AH), corresponding to (25/4/2019 AD).

 

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 fourth session held on the above date, the Board reviewed the letter (MA/1/1/3250) of His Excellency Mr. Hamdan Al-Faw`eer, director of the Orphans Fund Development Foundation, which reads as follows: "Back in 1981, the Foundation`s board-through resolution No.(6/81) - approved of Mr. Ameen Saleh Mar`ee`s wish to donate 100.000 JDs to be invested by the Orphans Fund Development Foundation (OFDF). This is provided that the annual profits in addition to whatever sums are added to the original donation should be spent in favor of poor Muslim orphans, needy students, the poor and other charity channels. This should also be done under the supervision of the Foundation`s board and the direct participation of Mr. Maree (Donor) himself, and , in case he dies, his son shall take over, and so on. Could you kindly consider discussing this matter with the Board of Iftaa` to provide us with answers to the following questions: Is the above sum (100.000 JDs) a donation or an endowment? Does the donor or his heirs have the right to participate in distributing the annual profits, yielded from investing the above sum, amongst the aforementioned categories who don`t have any funds at the (OFDF)? Is it permissible to consider the above sum amongst the Foundation`s revenues and the earnings made from investing that sum part of the profits added annually to the orphans deposits by the Foundation? Do the heirs of the donor have the right to reclaim the original sum (100.000 JDs)?

After deliberating, the Board decided what follows:

The above sum (100.000 JDs) takes the rulings of an endowment although it was termed a donation. This wording indicates holding money in perpetuity and spending its profits in accordance with the conditions of the donor, as reflected in resolution No.(6/81) issued by the (OFDF). This is in addition to the Sharia maxim, which states that meaning/content prevails over form/structure.

In conclusion, the above sums should be transferred to a party in charge of regulating endowments affairs where it invests the sums in question and spends their profits as stipulated by the endower. In addition, it isn`t permissible for the heirs or any of them to reclaim these sums (100.000 and profits made out of investing it), because once a property is endowed, it becomes Allah`s, not the endower`s. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.

 

Chairperson of Iftaa` Board,

Grand Mufti of Jordan,

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh

Sheikh Abdulkareem AlKhasawneh/ Member

Sheikh Sa`eid Al-Hijjawi/ Member

Dr. Muhammad Khair Al-Issa/ Member

Prof. Adam Nooh/ Member

Judge. Khaled Al-Worikat/ Member

Dr. Ahmad Al-Hasanat/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Zou`bi/ Member

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

A man donated a burial plot, but before registering it in favor of the Ministry of Awqaf and before burying anybody there he said that he didn`t want to donate it and planted it. What is the ruling of Sharia on this?

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

If he had endowed it as a cemetery, then he can`t take it back, even if he didn`t register it in favor of the Ministry of Awqaf. If he said: "I have endowed this plot as a cemetery, then it becomes an endowment." However, if he didn`t endow that plot-but it was his intention to do so-then he is allowed to back down. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.

What is the Islamic ruling regarding a person finding buried treasure, whether gold or artifacts, and what is their share of it?

If the buried treasure is Islamic, it is considered Luqta (lost property), and the finder must announce it to locate its owner. If all efforts to find the owner fail, the finder may take ownership of it. If the treasure is non-Islamic and consists of gold or silver, zakat must be paid on it, which is one-fifth of its value. And Allah Knows Best.

Is prayer nullified by having thoughts while performing it?

Prayer isn`t nullified by having thoughts while performing it, provided that the praying person offers all of its pillars and meets all of its conditions. However, the reward decreases significantly in the absence of reverence since a praying person is rewarded according to the attentiveness of his/her heart during prayer.

My mother inherited a share from my late father`s and brother`s property; however, the inheritance, a piece of land, wasn`t divided amongst the eligible heirs because it was hard to sell. While alive, she used say that she wanted these shares to be distributed amongst the poor and needy. What is the ruling of Sharia on this?

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and may His Peace and Blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all of his family and companions.
This is a will, so we have to consider the estate she had left behind. If the piece of land, which she had willed, equals one third and less of her estate, then the will must be executed. But, if it is more than one third, then one third must be executed and the rest of the estate, if the heirs agreed, is to be executed  as part of her will as well. However, if the heirs haven`t approved of that, then what remains, excluding that one third, must be divided amongst them according to the Islamic rules of inheritance. Moreover, we recommend that you pay a visit to the Iftaa` Department to make things clearer for you. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.