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Statement on Church Bombings that Took Place in the Arab Republic of Egypt
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 20-06-2023

Statement on Church Bombings that Took Place in the Arab Republic of Egypt

 

With great sorrow, the General Iftaa` Department of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan received the sad news of the bombing that took place in churches in the Arab Republic of Egypt causing the death of a number of innocent people. We strongly condemn this cowardly action, which isn`t approved by true religion or belief, and express our condolences to the families of the victims. This is because the Prophet (PBUH), the rightly guided caliphs, and the rulers that followed them were commanded to preserve the life of worshippers in their monasteries and places of worship, in addition to the lives of the children, women and the elderly. Allah the Almighty says {What means}: "And did not God Check one set of people by means of another, the earth would indeed be full of mischief: But God is full of bounty to all the worlds." {Al-Baqarah, 251}. In fact, Islam guaranteed freedom of worship for followers of different faiths. The Messenger of Allah commanded the Muslim army, upon leaving for battle, "not to kill worshippers secluded in monasteries and other places of worship." {The Mosannaf of Abed Al-Razzak}.

 

This action aims to incite sectarian conflict among the people of the same country-who have coexisted for hundreds of years in harmony-and aims to destroy not only the security and peace of the Egyptian people but also that of all Muslim peoples, spread terror, destruction and corruption in the land. Allah the Almighty says {What means}: "When he turns his back, His aim everywhere is to spread mischief through the earth and destroy crops and cattle. But God loveth not mischief." {Al-Baqarah, 205}. We are confident that our brothers in Egypt are fully aware of this malicious plot, and they will not allow those terrorists to sow the seeds of discord among the followers of different religions and sects since these terrorist groups kill all people, be they Muslim or non-Muslim.

 

We ask Almighty Allah to protect our country from seditions and afflictions, revealed and concealed, indeed! He is All Hearing and answers the call of those who invoke Him. And all perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds.

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on performing prayer on the upper floors of al-Masjid al-Ḥarām?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Facing the actual structure of the Ka‘bah (‘ayn al-Ka‘bah) is one of the conditions for the validity of the prayer. The scholars have clarified what is meant by "the actual structure of the Ka‘bah."
Imam ash-Sharwānī (raḥimahullāh) said: "What is meant by its ‘ayn (actual structure) is its physical body, or the airspace directly aligned with it — if the person praying is not inside it. But if he is inside it, then the airspace alone does not suffice; rather, the actual physical structure must be faced, such that even if he faces a projecting part of it measuring roughly two-thirds of a dhirā‘ (cubit) or more, this would be sufficient." [Ḥāshiyat ash-Sharwānī ‘alā Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj, Vol.1/P.484]
Sheikh al-Qulyūbī (raḥimahullāh) said: "Unlike one who prays outside it — i.e., outside the Ka‘bah — for him the airspace (directly above it) suffices, even if he is higher than it, or even if he is at the location where it (hypothetically) has been demolished." [Ḥāshiyat al-Qulyūbī ‘alā Sharḥ al-Minhāj,  Vol.1/P.154]
Accordingly, the prayer is valid on the upper floors of al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, even though these floors are higher than the roof of the Ka‘bah itself. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on giving Zakah (obligatory charity) to one`s relatives?

It is impermissible to pay Zakah to one`s origins (parents and grandparents) because providing for them is an obligation on their branches (sons and daughters) if they were poor, but it is permissible to give some of the Zakah money to relatives whose provision isn`t due on the giver of the Zakah.

My father has debts and asked me to repay them years ago, and I promised him I would do so upon his death — is it permissible for me to go back on my promise given that I am unable to repay them, especially since he refuses to contribute to repayment on the grounds that the debt has become my responsibility by virtue of my promise?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The established principle is that a father's debt is to be repaid from his own wealth, if he possesses sufficient means. As for the promise made by the son to repay it on his father's behalf, fulfilling such a promise is strongly recommended, and breaking it is considerably disliked. Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Fulfilling a promise is emphatically recommended, and breaking it is severely disliked. The evidences for this from the Qurʾān and the Sunnah are well known." [Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn,Vol. 2/P.278] Shaykh al-Islām Imām Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī, may Allah have mercy upon him, further states: "The reason fulfilling a promise is not obligatory and breaking it is not forbidden is that a promise is in the nature of a gift, and a gift does not become binding except upon receipt." [Asnā al-Maṭālib fī Sharḥ Rawḍ al-Ṭālib,Vol. 2/P.487]
Given that the son does not possess the financial means to fulfil his promise to his father, breaking this promise falls beyond his capacity — and Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. Since the father himself possesses sufficient wealth to settle his own debt, repayment must be made from his own funds. Should he pass away before doing so, the debt is to be settled from his estate. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is a woman`s prayer considered invalid if non-Mahrams (marriageable men) saw her offering it?

A woman`s prayer isn`t invalidated if non-Mahrams saw her offering it, but she had better pray in isolation.