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On the Occasion of Launching the Iftaa` Department`s Website
Author : Dr Noah Ali Salman
Date Added : 02-04-2024

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. This website serves as a means for the General Iftaa Department in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to communicate with the Muslim community, receive their questions and inquiries, and provide answers, God willing. Through this website, they can also access the research and information available at the Department that it wishes to share with them. The Department is an official entity as it is one of the academic institutions in the kingdom. Therefore, it is keen on providing accurate and verified answers. It has entrusted a group of muftis working within the Department to answer questions. They formulate the answers and discuss them among themselves, taking into consideration the evidence from the Quran, the Sunna of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), and the deductions of the Islamic jurists whose opinions and interpretations are accepted and respected by the Muslim community. A group of competent researchers assists the muftis. The Department has a committee that addresses issues requiring a collective fatwa (Religious edict). However, for emerging matters, issues of general societal concern, and cases forwarded to the Department by official entities such as ministries, these fall under the jurisdiction of the Iftaa` Council, which comprises a select group of scholars. For matters requiring specialized knowledge, the Council may also seek expertise from specialists in fields like medicine, chemistry, and astronomy. The Department exchanges opinions and expertise with fatwa institutions in the Arab countries. It also welcomes suggestions from readers who have experience in managing such websites. Additionally, we encourage receiving questions related to Islamic sciences, and we pray to Allah for guidance in providing accurate answers. Asking scholars about religious matters is a religious duty. Allah, The Almighty Says (What means): "So ask the people of the message if you do not know" [An-Nahl/43]. The Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) also said: "Why did they not ask when they did not know? The only cure for ignorance is to ask." [Abu Dawood]. This is because a Muslim is keen to ensure that their actions are in accordance with Islamic law. Allah The Exalted Says (what means): "So whoever follows My guidance will neither go astray [in the world] nor suffer [in the Hereafter]" [Taha/123]. In conclusion, we hope to assist our Muslim brothers in understanding the religious rulings so that they may act upon them. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad, and upon his family and companions, all together., all together.

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is "Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm" a verse (āyah) of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The basmalah ("Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm") is, without question, a verse (āyah) of the Noble Qur'an, and according to the Shāfi‘ī school, it constitutes a verse of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah itself. Al-Fātiḥah is a pillar of the prayer, and it consists of seven verses, of which the basmalah is one. The prayer is not valid without reciting it, nor if any of the Fātiḥah's verses, letters, or shaddahs (consonant doublings) are omitted or altered.
It is stated in Bushrā al-Karīm (Vol.1/p.202), from the books of the Shāfi‘ī school: "The basmalah is a complete verse of it [i.e., of al-Fātiḥah] in practice — and it suffices, for this to be established, that there be strong probability (ẓann), especially given that this has come very close to certainty (yaqīn), due to the consensus (ijmā‘) of the Companions on its inclusion in the muṣ-ḥaf [the written text of the Qur'an] in its script, despite their extreme diligence in excluding from it anything that did not genuinely belong to it — to the point that they even [carefully regulated] its diacritical dots and vowel markings." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on swallowing saliva while fasting?

It is permissible for a fasting person to swallow their saliva because avoiding it would cause undue hardship and excessive strictness in religion. Islam discourages such excessiveness since Allah the Almighty intends ease for His followers and does not intend to put them in hardship.

My brother works in a conventional bank and gave me one of the gifts distributed to bank employees — what is the ruling on accepting it?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
There is no objection to accepting such gifts, because the physical gift itself does not carry any inherent prohibition — unlike stolen property. Sin does not transfer or extend to the one who receives the gift, for Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "And no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another." [Al-Anʿām/164]
The evidence for this is that the Prophet ﷺ himself ate from the food of the Jews, conducted transactions with them, and purchased from them — and it is well known that their wealth was intermingled with ribā. Similarly, the wealth of conventional ribā-based banks is a mixture of the lawful and the unlawful.
Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "It is not forbidden to transact with one whose wealth is predominantly unlawful, nor to eat from it — as al-Nawawī affirmed in al-Majmūʿ." [Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj, Vol. 9/P.389] And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible to participate in an Udhiyah?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Regarding the sacrificial offering (Udhiyah), if it is a sheep or a goat, it only avails for one person. However, if it is a cow or a camel, it avails for seven people. It is permissible for the seven participants to have different intentions; for example, some may intend the sacrifice (Udhiyah), some the ’Aqiqah (sacrifice for a newborn), and others may simply intend to obtain meat.
 
It is stated in Hashiyat Qalyubi ‘ala Sharh al-Mahalli (Vol.4/P.256) and in Bushra al-Karim (p. 706):
 
"If one slaughters a camel or a cow on behalf of seven... it is permissible. Likewise, it is permissible if some of them intend their seventh for meat, and others intend their seventh for ’Aqiqah." And Allah the Almighty knows best.

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