Articles

A statement on Recognizing Jerusalem as Capital of the Israeli Entity
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 07-12-2017

 

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.

The General Iftaa' Department strongly condemns the resolution taken by the US administration in which it recognized Jerusalem as capital of the Israeli occupation and  decided moving the US Embassy there. This act constitutes a flagrant violation against Muslims' creed.

On its part, the Dept. reminds the world of the UNISCO's World Heritage Center`s resolution which ascertains that Israel has no sovereignty over Jerusalem. Accordingly, the U.S resolution is invalid in all forms and defies the international law and all related resolutions. Moreover, issuing such resolution incites conflicts and crises in a region that is already suffering the scourge of war.

Almighty Allah has privileged Al-Aqsa Mosque with a special place in the hearts of all Muslims emanating from  the essence of their belief since it  (Al-Aqsa Mosque) is the first of the two Qiblahs (Al-Aqsa Mosque and Al-Masjid Al-Haraam of Makkah), the second of the two Holy Mosques (The sacred mosques of Makkah and Medina) ,the third of the Harams as well as the place from where the Messenger (PBUH) embarked on his nocturnal journey (Al-Israa`wal Mi`raaj). Al-Aqsa Mosque is a sacred destination to which hearts of Muslims yarn and rewards are multiplied. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "You should not undertake a special journey to visit any place other than the three mosques: the Sacred Mosque of Makkah, this Mosque of mine and Al-Aqsa Mosque (of Jerusalem). [Agreed upon].

We ,The Jordan Iftaa` Department, who are privileged with a wise Hashemite leadership that spares no effort in restoring and defending Al-Aqsa Mosque based on deeply-rooted Islamic belief that tightly bonds all Muslims, stress our rejection to all the provocative acts undertaken by the oppressive Israeli enemy against Muslims with the purpose of dividing as well as  Judaizing  the mosque. Almighty Allah Says in the Holy Quran (What means): "And who does greater evil than he who bars God's places of worship, so that His Name be not invoked in them, and strives to ruin them?; such men might never enter them, save in fear; for them in this world is degradation; and in the Hereafter a mighty chastisement." [Al-Baqarah /114].

We highly value the steadfastness of our Palestinian brothers and commend their heroic defense of Jerusalem and the holy places. We ask Allah The Exalted to bestow victory upon them and keep them strong.

In this era, it is the religious duty of all Muslims: people, leaderships, governments, and intellectuals to defend Al-Aqsa Mosque against all dangers and violations. We confirm that the guardianship over Al-Aqsa Mosque is the right of all Muslims represented by the Hashemite leadership which enjoyed that privilege by virtue of its historic legacy and the guardianship agreement signed with the Palestinian Authority, and not with the Israeli occupation authorities whose acts aren`t recognized as far as this matter is concerned. We also confirm that it is impermissible to undermine this guardianship over the holy places, or abdicate it.

We pray that Allah, The Exalted, protects Jerusalem, the Islamic sanctities and the Muslim nation. And All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds.

The General Iftaa' Dept.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

How is the meat of the 'aqīqah to be distributed?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
If the 'aqīqah is a recommended one (mandūbah), it is obligatory to give some portion of it in charity to the poor — even if the amount is small — with the minimum being approximately half a kilogram of meat.
The most preferable manner of distribution is to divide it into three equal portions, as with the uḍḥiyyah:
 
One third for the guardian and his household to eat from
One third to be given in charity to the poor
One third to be gifted to friends and neighbours, even if they are wealthy
 
It is furthermore more preferable to send the food to the poor already cooked, rather than inviting them to come and eat. And Allah Almighty knows best.

For some time I have been searching for a guiding shaykh to teach me the spiritual path (*sulūk*) and the Islamic sciences, but I have not found one. What should I do?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
There is abundant good in this Ummah, and the scholars who guide and nurture are never cut off. The student of knowledge should strive in seeking them out, ask diligently after them, and draw from their learning.
As for one who cannot find a guiding and nurturing shaykh, he should send abundant prayers and peace upon our master the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), while keeping constantly to dhikr and worship and abstaining from the forbidden. For that will bring him to his goal in traveling toward Allah the Exalted. Imam Muḥammad al-Sanūsī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “I have seen it said by some of the imams of Sufism that whoever lacks shaykhs of spiritual training (shuyūkh al-tarbiyah) should increase his invocation of blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), for by it he will reach his goal.”
The scholar Aḥmad Zarrūq al-Mālikī (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Qawāʿid al-Taṣawwuf (p. 86), rule no. 114: “Dhikr is the decree of sainthood (manshūr al-wilāyah). Whoever is given dhikr has been given the decree. Our shaykh Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Ḥaḍramī (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘Keep constantly to dhikr and abundant blessings upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), for it is a ladder, an ascent, and a path to Allah the Exalted when the seeker does not meet a guiding shaykh.’” And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on swearing an oath by the Prophet ﷺ, and does such an oath take effect according to Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, requiring expiation upon its breach?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Swearing an oath by a created being is disliked (makrūh) in our Shāfiʿī school. Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Swearing by a created being is disliked — such as swearing by the Prophet, the Kaʿbah, Jibrīl, the Companions, or the Prophet's family. Al-Shāfiʿī, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: 'I fear that swearing by other than Allah the Almighty may constitute an act of disobedience.' The scholars of the school explained this to mean: that is, something forbidden and sinful — indicating that he had some hesitation in the matter. Al-Imām stated: the established position of the school is that it is categorically not forbidden, but rather disliked. Furthermore, whoever swears by a created being, his oath does not take effect and no expiation (kaffārah) is required if he breaks it." [Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn wa ʿUmdat al-Muftīn, Vol. 11/P.6]
According to the Ḥanbalī school, however, expiation becomes obligatory upon one who swears by our master the Prophet ﷺ and then breaks his oath. Imām al-Bahūtī al-Ḥanbalī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "No expiation is required for swearing by other than Allah the Almighty, even if the oath is broken — because expiation was made obligatory for swearing by Allah and His attributes, out of reverence for His names, and nothing else is equal to Him in this regard... except in the case of swearing by our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, for expiation becomes obligatory when one swears by him and then breaks the oath. This was explicitly stated in the narration of Abū Ṭālib, because he is one of the two conditions of the two testimonies of faith by which a disbeliever becomes a Muslim. Ibn ʿAqīl held the view that swearing by any of the other prophets, peace and blessings be upon them all, carries the same ruling." [Sharḥ Muntahā al-Irādāt, Vol. 3/P.441]. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What are the conditions that must be met for the 'aqīqah to be valid?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
The 'aqīqah is like the recommended uḍḥiyyah in terms of the type of animal, its age, and its required characteristics — since it is a recommended slaughter and therefore resembles the uḍḥiyyah in its rulings.
It is agreed upon without any difference of opinion that the 'aqīqah is not valid with any animal other than livestock (al-na'am — camels, cattle, and sheep). Likewise, an animal with a disqualifying defect — such as obvious illness, lameness, or blindness in one eye — does not suffice, as has previously been explained in the rulings of the uḍḥiyyah. And Allah Almighty knows best.