Statement of the Iftaa` Department on the Tourism Brochure Concerning Umm al-Raṣāṣ

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the amount of food to be given to a needy person for fidyah and kaffarah?

The amount of food to be given to a needy person is 600 grams of wheat or rice.

According to the Hanafi school, it is permissible to give the monetary equivalent instead, and this is the ruling issued by the General Iftaa` Department.

What is the ruling on vomiting, and does it invalidate ablution?

Vomit is impure (najis). Its exit is not considered one of the nullifiers of ablution. However, the mouth must be washed and purified from it, and any that gets on clothing or the body must be washed for prayer, because prayer is not valid with impurity present on the body or clothing. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the due amount of food in expiation for perjury?

It is feeding ten indigent persons: 600 grams (for each) of the average food of your families such as rice, and it is permissible, according to Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal, to give that amount in money if it was more useful to them.

What is the correct point at which to raise the hands when standing up for the third rak‘ah (after the middle tashahhud)?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

Raising the hands while saying the takbīr [when rising for the third rak‘ah] is a recommended sunnah, and omitting it does not affect the validity of the prayer. The proper time for this is after rising from the middle tashahhud, once one has fully stood up.

It is stated in I‘ānat aṭ-Ṭālibīn (Vol.1/P.158): "His statement, 'and rising from the first tashahhud' — meaning, this manner [of raising the hands] is also a sunnah when he rises from the first tashahhud, that is, when he stands upright from it.

Consider [the question]: when precisely does the raising of the hands begin? Is it at the very start of rising from the first tashahhud, or after he has reached the minimum position of rukū‘ [i.e., once fully upright]? The apparent, [correct] view is the latter — even though the outward wording [of the text] might suggest the former — because at the very start of his rising, he is still relying on both hands [to push himself up, and therefore cannot yet raise them]."

It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik (p. 53): "If his prayer extends beyond two rak‘ahs, he sits after them in the iftirāsh position, recites the tashahhud, and sends blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ alone, without [mentioning] his family [at this point]. He then stands while saying the takbīr, supporting himself with his hands; and once he has stood upright, he raises them level with his shoulders." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

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Statement of the Iftaa` Department on the Tourism Brochure Concerning Umm al-Raṣāṣ

Author : His Eminence Noah Ali Salman

Date Added : 02-11-2026

Statement of the Iftaa` Department on the Tourism Brochure Concerning Umm al-Raṣāṣ

Muslims are united on nothing as they are united on the love of Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and on supporting Islam and the Muslims.

When the offensive cartoons against the Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) were published, Muslims of every school and persuasion rose to condemn that crime.

A few days ago, a tour guide noticed a phrase in a tourism brochure that insults, in an unjustifiable way, our master Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him). This guide, may Allah bless him, promptly informed the responsible authorities. The Minister of Tourism was notified, condemned the matter, and formed an investigative committee to determine who was responsible for the error.

The Iftaa` Department was among the first to draw the Minister’s attention to this matter, but in our own manner, which relies on reform through quiet means without publicly shaming anyone. The Minister informed us, before others, of the formation of this committee. Statements then followed from every quarter, disassociating themselves from the brochure and from the erroneous information in it. When the investigation ends and the person responsible is identified, any citizen may file a case in the name of the public right under the Sharīʿah against whoever insulted the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). The laws in force in our country punish this.

This swift response from official bodies and the public shows that Islam is protected and defended by everyone, and that an insult to it and to its symbols is an insult to all, especially to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), for whom we would give our lives and souls, and whose family line provides the leadership by which this country is honored.

In summary, the offensive content of the brochure is this: describing the area of Umm al-Raṣāṣ, near the city of Mafraq in Jordan, it said: “In this place the Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him) met the Christian monk who taught him the virtues, or principles, of tawḥīd (the oneness of God).”

This refers to the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) journey to al-Shām (Greater Syria) with his uncle Abū Ṭālib before prophethood, when he was twelve years old. Historians doubt that this meeting took place.

What those who have spoken on this matter overlooked is that whoever prepared the brochure, whether Muslim or non-Muslim (and most likely non-Muslim, since the Ministry of Tourism clarified that it was prepared by an external party), implicitly acknowledges that tawḥīd was the religion held by the Christian scholars. So where did the Trinity come from? That is a different story.

Even if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had heard something about tawḥīd from that monk, Islam does not stop at the doctrine of tawḥīd. The Noble Qur’an and the purified Sunnah address every matter of life and set out the way of life that Allah intended for all people, in acts of worship, transactions, ethics, and international relations. The Qur’an also speaks of events that took place later, such as the Night Journey and Ascension (al-Isrāʾ wa’l-Miʿrāj), jihād, and the victory at Badr, and so on.

It is slander, and a contempt for people’s intelligence, for anyone to think that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) learned all of this in a passing encounter at the age of twelve.

What the narrations say, if they are authentic, is that the monk recognized the signs of prophethood in our master Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), as described in the books in his possession. He feared for him from the Jews and advised his uncle Abū Ṭālib to take care for his safety. This is reasonable, for Allah the Exalted says of the People of the Book {what means}: “Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel” [al-Aʿrāf/157].

In more than one verse, Allah the Exalted informed us that the People of the Book who have preserved Allah’s covenants recognize the Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) as they recognize their own sons. Researchers, Muslim and others, have produced books collecting what remains in the Jewish and Christian scriptures of glad tidings of the Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), among them a book translated into Arabic under the title ʿĪsā Yubashshir bi-Muḥammad (“Jesus Foretells Muḥammad”).

In any case, we thank the tour guide who noticed this error offensive to the Prophet Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and we thank everyone who rose to defend Islam and its Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for the sake of Allah. Islam will remain honored and protected, by Allah’s leave, in fulfillment of His promise. The Exalted has said {what means}: “It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, to make it prevail over all religion, even if the polytheists dislike it” [al-Tawbah/33].

Two matters remain:

First: It is not permissible to rush into issuing rulings of disbelief (kufr) against individuals, because declaring someone a disbeliever (takfīr) is a grave matter. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever says to his brother, ‘O disbeliever,’ one of them has incurred it.” There is a great difference between saying “this statement is an act of disbelief” and saying “this person is a disbeliever.” The judgment on individuals is issued by the judge after the grounds for it are established by legitimate means. Refuting a statement of disbelief, however, is permissible for all people of knowledge.

Second: It is not permissible for anyone to regard himself as the sole protector of the Islamic religion, because in doing so he reduces the number of Islam’s supporters. All of us are protectors of the Sharīʿah and its people.

I thank those brothers who regard the Iftaa` Department and the Department of the Chief Justice as bodies to which such matters may be brought for redress, and not as bodies that fall short in protecting religious rites and need someone to prompt them to do their duty. We live up to our brothers’ good opinion in what we see as right and correct, but each of us has his own approach. We prefer to handle matters calmly, for that is more likely to bring a response. May Allah protect us all.

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on the fasting of a woman who has reached menopause if menstrual blood flows?

If a woman reaches the age of menopause (which is usually sixty-two) and her menses have ceased, then she sees blood after that, and its duration is not less than a day and a night (24 hours), it is menstruation (hayd). If it is less than a day and a night, she is considered as having non-menstrual vaginal bleeding (mustahada), so she fasts and prays. However, she must perform ablution for every obligatory prayer after its time enters, pray immediately, and be treated as a person with a continuous condition. There is no specific end limit for a woman's menstruation; it is possible as long as the woman is alive. And Allah the Almighty 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.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on selling gold or silver in installments or for a differed price?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.

It is prohibited (haram) to sell gold or silver in installments or for a deferred price; rather, immediate hand-to-hand exchange (Taqabud) is mandatory, otherwise, it is considered usury (Riba). The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Gold for gold, silver for silver, wheat for wheat, barley for barley, dates for dates, and salt for salt—like for like, hand to hand. Whoever increases or asks for an increase has engaged in Riba; the receiver and the giver are the same in this regard.' (Narrated by Muslim). Furthermore, when exchanging new gold for used gold, they must be of equal weight, or it falls into Riba.

The permissible solution (al-makhraj) is for the merchant to purchase the used gold for cash first, and then sell the new gold for cash in a separate transaction. However, the price must be paid during the sitting of the contract (Majlis al-Aqd) for both deals. Alternatively, the jeweler may take the used gold with the intent of remodeling or repairing it, and then charge a fee for the craftsmanship or repair work. And Allah the Exalted knows best."

What is the ruling on taking a medication tablet sublingually during the daytime in Ramadan?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

Taking a medication tablet sublingually (under the tongue) during the daytime in Ramadan does not invalidate the fast, since it does not reach the internal cavity (al-jawf) through an open passage.

However, if the tablet dissolves and any part of it is swallowed, then the fast is broken.

And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.