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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 are the Sunnah acts of fasting?

● Delaying Suhoor (pre-dawn meal) as long as there is no risk of Fajr beginning.
● Hastening Iftar (breaking the fast) immediately after confirming sunset.
● Performing I‘tikaf, especially during the last ten nights of Ramadan.
● Reciting the Quran frequently.
● Avoiding idle and useless talk.
● Being generous and charitable.
● Guarding oneself from desires.
● Purifying oneself from major impurity (janabah) before Fajr.

What is the ruling on selling sacrificial animals (udhiyah) described with specific attributes and authorizing an agent to slaughter them?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Selling sacrificial animals (udhiyah) that are described with specific attributes is permissible. This falls under the category of a salam sale (forward sale) if conducted using the terminology of salam, and under the category of a regular sale if not using the terminology of salam.
 
As for authorizing the seller to slaughter the sacrificial animal, the basic principle is that it is permissible, because the agent (wakil) stands in the place of the principal (muwakkil) in achieving his objective. This is a contract that the principal (the buyer) is entitled to perform himself, so authorizing another (the seller) to do so on his behalf is valid.
 
However, it is a condition for authorization to slaughter that the intention (niyyah) is present either at the time of slaughter or at the time of handing over the sacrificial animal to the agent. The basic principle is that the sacrificial animal must be specifically designated, as it is an act of worship. It is not required to designate it at the time of slaughter; rather, it is valid to do so before that.
 
It is permissible for the principal either to delegate the intention to the agent or to formulate it himself when authorizing the agent to slaughter. However, the sacrificial animal must be designated, even if at the time of slaughter, by the agent.
 
It is obligatory to designate the sacrificial animals so that each person offering a sacrifice receives his own specific animal. Therefore, charitable organizations and companies must take this into consideration and establish a specific mechanism that ensures no mixing of sacrificial animals occurs, so that each person offering a sacrifice receives his own designated animal. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What are the conditions for a valid Udhiyah?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
First: The age of the animal must meet the Sharia requirements. These requirements vary depending on the type of sacrifice:
 
Camels: Must have completed five years and entered their sixth.
 
Cows: Must have completed two years and entered their third.
 
Goats: Must have completed two years and entered their third. As for Sheep, they must have completed one year and entered their second.
 
Some scholars have permitted goats that have completed one year and entered their second.
 
The Hanafi school, along with an opinion in the Maliki school, permits sacrificing sheep that are at least six months old, provided they are healthy and physically substantial. According to the Shafi’i school, it is permissible if the sheep sheds its front teeth (ajdha') before reaching one year [Al-Iqna’, by Al-Shirbini (Vol.2/P.588)].
 
Second: Soundness and freedom from defects. The animal must be free from any defect that causes a decrease in its meat or market value. This is based on the hadith narrated by Al-Bara' bin 'Azib, that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
 
"Four [defects] are not permissible in sacrifices: A one-eyed animal whose blindness is evident, a sick animal whose illness is evident, a lame animal whose lameness is evident, and an emaciated animal that has no marrow in its bones." [Reported by Abu Dawood and Al-Tirmidhi, who graded it as authentic].
 
These defects are detailed as follows:
 
Evident Lameness: It is not permissible to sacrifice a lame animal if the lameness is severe enough to prevent it from walking to the pasture or seeking food, as this leads to a decrease in its meat. However, slight lameness that does not hinder its grazing is overlooked.
 
Evident Blindness (One-eyed): It is not permissible to sacrifice a sheep, cow, or camel that has a white film over its eye blocking light, or one that has lost an eye entirely. Weak vision that does not affect its ability to eat does not prevent the sacrifice from being valid.
 
Evident Illness: An animal with a clear sickness that prevents it from eating or moving is not valid. This includes severe mange (Jarab) that spoils the meat.
 
Extreme Emaciation: An animal so thin that there is no marrow left in its bones is invalid. The standard for emaciation that invalidates the sacrifice is that which spoils the quality of the meat to the point that people would find it undesirable even in times of plenty.
 
Additional Considerations:
These are the defects mentioned in the Prophetic tradition, and any defect that causes emaciation or reduces the meat or value is compared to them by analogy. This includes animals that are mentally unstable (diseased), those with mange, or those with a missing ear. In contrast, a slit or pierced ear does not affect the validity of the sacrifice. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the difference between Qiyam al-Layl and Tahajjud?

● Qiyam al-Layl refers to any voluntary prayer performed at night, including Tarawih.
● Tahajjud specifically refers to voluntary prayer performed at night after waking up from sleep.
Glad tidings to those who combine both, as numerous Quranic verses and hadiths mention their virtues.
Allah Almighty says {what means}: "And rise from thy sleep and pray during part of the night [as well], as a free offering from thee, and thy Sustainer may well raise thee to a glorious station [in the life to come." [Al-Isra`/79]
The Prophetﷺ said: "Whoever stands (in prayer) during Ramadan with faith and seeking reward, all their past sins will be forgiven." [Agreed upon]

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