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Halal Economy: Encyclopedia of the Halal Industry
Author : Dr. Safwan Odaybat
Date Added : 06-09-2023

Halal Economy: Encyclopedia of the Halal Industry

 

 

One of the most important contemporary scientific encyclopedias that has served the Islamic economy (the field of the halal economy) is the (Encyclopedia of the Halal Industry), which is considered a unique encyclopedic work in the field of the halal industry and its related fatwas and rulings.

This encyclopedia was prepared, compiled, and organized by the (Research Unit of the Fatwa Department) within the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in Kuwait, and the first edition was printed in 2020.

 

The encyclopedia was structured with an academic introduction followed by eleven chapters organized in a jurisprudential manner, divided into three parts. The introduction included important headings as an entry point to the encyclopedia. After discussing the significance of the encyclopedia and its methodology and work plan, it delved into Islam's concern for food and drink, their regulations, and the role of the Fatwa Department in the halal industry. The introduction concluded with Quranic verses, Hadiths, historical accounts, and important terminology related to the halal industry, each discussed separately.

 

As for the chapters of the encyclopedia:

 

In the first part, there are two chapters: the chapter on religious rulings (fatwas) regarding food, and the chapter on religious rulings regarding drinks.

In the second part, there are three chapters: the chapter on religious rulings regarding slaughtering (tazkiyah), the chapter on religious rulings regarding utensils, and the chapter on religious rulings regarding purification and impurity (taharah and najasah).

In the third and final part, there are six chapters: the chapter on religious rulings regarding drugs and intoxicants, the chapter on religious rulings regarding additives, the chapter on religious rulings regarding medicine and treatment, the chapter on religious rulings regarding cosmetic products, the chapter on religious rulings regarding clothing and adornment, and the chapter on miscellaneous religious rulings.

 

The importance of the encyclopedia is highlighted in the following ways:

First: This encyclopedia is unique in its collection of fatwas from scholars of the four major Islamic schools of thought since the second century of the Islamic calendar. It also includes fatwas issued by fatwa bodies and institutions in the Arab and Islamic worlds, as well as the rulings of reputable scholars from the past and contemporary eras, and the decisions of Islamic jurisprudential councils, all related to the halal industry.

 

Second: The encyclopedia contributes to spreading awareness of the intricacies, details, and regulations of the halal industry among students of knowledge, research centers, and the Muslim community at large.

 

Third: The encyclopedia serves as a distinguished reference for understanding the fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and usul (principles) related to the halal industry. These are highlighted with bold text and enclosed in brackets.

 

Fourt: The introductory section of the encyclopedia acts as a credible reference for all the Quranic verses, Hadiths, and narrations related to the halal industry, making it easy for researchers to access them in their scholarly studies.

Fifth: The encyclopedia serves as a reputable reference for essential terminology related to the halal industry.

 

Sixth: It is a trusted and accessible resource for Islamic minority communities living in non-Muslim societies, as it contains fatwas relevant to their specific environments.

 

Seventh: The encyclopedia's methodology involves organizing fatwas within each chapter and categorizing them chronologically. Each fatwa is assigned a sequential number, facilitating easy reference and citation. This approach makes it a unique encyclopedia in terms of its methodology and the organization of its fatwas.

 

In light of this unique encyclopedic endeavor, we express our gratitude to the Fatwa Department in the State of Kuwait. We also hope that all fatwa bodies, research centers, universities, and institutes in the Arab and Islamic worlds will actively contribute to the service of Islamic knowledge and the facilitation of access to it through collective and encyclopedic efforts in all its principles and branches.

 

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

There are olive trees within the precincts of the mosque, and my father covers the costs of electricity, water, and other needs of the mosque. Is it permissible for him to take the olive harvest?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
If trees and fruit-bearing crops are planted in a mosque for the mosque itself, they may only be spent on the mosque’s interests. If they were planted for the public way (musabbalah), that is, for the general public, then any Muslim who enters the mosque may eat from them. If the planter’s intention is unknown, they are treated like those dedicated for public use, wherever custom has so run.
It is stated in Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj (Vol.6/p.295): “The fruit of a tree planted for the mosque within it is not freely permitted without compensation. Rather, the imam spends its equivalent value on the mosque’s interests. The tree left its planter’s ownership here without any verbal declaration because of the evident indication. The case of planting it for the mosque excludes planting it as musabbalah, in which case eating from it without compensation is permissible, and likewise if his intention is unknown, where custom has so run. The tree may be uprooted from the mosque if the imam sees fit. Indeed, if he makes the plot a mosque while a tree stands in it, the imam may uproot it, even if the endower included it within the endowment (waqf).”
The father is a donor (mutabarriʿ), so he is not entitled to take anything in return for his donation to the mosque.
The Ministry of Awqāf is the body that supervises the affairs of endowments, so it must be consulted and the Sharīʿah and administrative instructions regulating such matters must be considered. And Allah Almighty knows best.

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.

How many Rak`ahs (unit of prayer) are offered in Witr prayer?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds                                                                                                                                                                  Witr (an odd number prayer performed between Isha`a and Fajr) is offered with a minimum of one Rak`ah, and a maximum of eleven, but offering three Rak`ahs is the minimum of its complete form. And Allah Knows Best.

I have a date farm, and the dates come in different categories, and within each category there are different sizes. How is zakāh paid on the yield?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
If the yield reaches the niṣāb (the minimum threshold for zakāh to become obligatory) — which is five awsuq (plural of wasq), equivalent to (611) kg — then zakāh becomes obligatory upon it, at a rate of one-tenth ('ushr) if irrigated by rainwater (i.e., naturally, without the use of machinery), or one-twentieth (half of the 'ushr) if irrigated using machinery/equipment.
If the yield of dates consists of different varieties, then zakāh should be paid from each variety according to its respective proportion. If this proves difficult, it is permissible to pay from a medium-quality variety [representative of the average].
It is stated in Ḥāshiyatā Qulyūbī wa ‘Umayrah (Vol.2/P.22): "Different varieties are combined together [for the purpose of calculating the niṣāb] — such as the various types of dates, the various types of raisins, and so on — and zakāh is paid from each type according to its respective proportion. However, if this becomes difficult due to the large number of varieties and the small quantity of each individual type, then zakāh should be paid from a medium-quality variety among them — neither the best nor the worst — out of consideration for both sides [the giver and the poor recipient]. If one goes to the trouble of paying from each variety according to its proportion, this is also permissible." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

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