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The Fatwa Approach Adopted at the General Ifta' De



Iftaa' Department


The Fatwa Approach Adopted at the General Iftaa' Department

The questions of Islamic jurisprudence are many and varied, and they touch every sphere of life and every human practice. The scholars of Islam have left us a vast legacy of rulings and legislation that illuminates people’s lives with the light of divine wisdom. Their juristic and legislative choices rest on a firm foundation of recognized sources of law: the Qur’an, the Sunnah, consensus, analogy, and considerations of public interest.

This juristic heritage has settled into four recognized schools of Islamic thought: the Ḥanafī, the Mālikī, the Shāfiʿī, and the Ḥanbalī. There is consensus that they are to be adopted and regarded as valid paths to attaining the pleasure of Allah the Mighty and Majestic and to safeguarding the interests of the land and its people.

Since the General Iftaa`Department is one link in the scholarly chain of the broader juristic movement, it chose to adopt one of the four schools as the point of departure and foundation for the juristic positions on which it issues fatwas. Through this adoption, it seeks to secure the great benefits and interests that the juristic movement has realized throughout Islamic history, foremost among them:

1. Safety before Allah the Mighty and Majestic on the Day of the Great Reckoning, so that we do not alter or change anything in Allah’s religion without His leave.

2. Realizing moderation, which is among the foundations of the Islamic Sharīʿah and one of the distinguishing features of this vast juristic legacy.

3. Safety from inconsistent opinions and anomalous views that cause disorder in intellectual and practical life.

4. Ensuring discipline in the issuance of fatwas and reducing unproductive disagreement as far as possible.

5. Helping muftis arrive at the Sharīʿah rulings by the easiest route. A lifetime would not suffice for a mufti who sought to exercise full ijtihād on every question put before him, so drawing upon earlier jurists is the indispensable solution.

The General Iftaa` Department chose the school of Imam al-Shāfiʿī as the foundation and point of departure for fatwas in our blessed land, for two reasons:

First: it is the most widespread school in our country throughout history, and taking account of the majority is an objective of the Sharīʿah.

Second: it is a moderate school that combined the principles of the school of ḥadīth and that of considered opinion. It produced juristic conclusions that have been, and remain, a means of serving the interests of the Ummah and uniting its word. Although this quality is found in the other schools as well, the school of Imam al-Shāfiʿī took the lead in it.

The Department’s commitment to issuing fatwas according to the Shāfiʿī school does not mean complete taqlīd (to follow the opinion of a scholar without knowing the evidence on which it is based) to the conclusions of the school’s jurists. Rather, the Department has an advanced approach to benefiting from the full range of positions of all the schools, within the following parameters:

1. New contemporary issues (nawāzil). If a matter concerns a new development of the age not addressed in the jurists’ rulings, or is a general matter affecting society or the entire Ummah, whether in financial transactions, medical issues, or other areas, the Department must prepare dedicated studies examining it in light of the Sharīʿah evidence and legal maxims, and weighing benefits against harms. It arrives at a Sharīʿah ruling that is presented to the Iftaāʾ Board for deliberation, leading to a formal decision on the matter.

2. Where the Shāfiʿī position no longer suits changed circumstances. If the Shāfiʿī position on a particular question does not suit changes of time, place, and the circumstances surrounding the questioner, for example where it would cause severe hardship or extreme difficulty, or where the underlying reason for which the Shāfiʿī jurists stipulated the position has changed, or where new scientific information or facts call for revisiting the juristic choice, in all these cases the Department re-examines the question in light of the legal maxims and the objectives of the Sharīʿah. It draws on the conclusions of all the Islamic schools to reach the ruling closest to the Sharīʿah’s objectives.

3. Personal status matters. In matters such as marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance, the Department relies on the Jordanian Personal Status Law and does not depart from it, so as to avoid any conflict between the Iftaāʾ institution and the Sharīʿah judiciary in the Kingdom. The law draws on the conclusions and opinions of Muslim jurists, selected on sound Sharīʿah principles and criteria by specialized committees.

Thus, the esteemed muftis handle the questions that reach them from the public through various channels, within a graduated sequence and a precise mechanism. It begins by determining which of the above categories the question falls under, and ends with the answer reaching the questioner as quickly as possible. Where delay occurs, it is only because of the detailed study the Department undertakes for dozens of questions each day. A mufti who knows that he is answerable before Allah the Mighty and Majestic for every word he writes will undoubtedly prefer deliberation and care over haste and hurried judgment.

And Allah is the Granter of success.

  

Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on swearing a false oath by the Holy Quran?

Swearing a false oath by the Holy Quran dips the oath-taker in Hellfire, and one who had done so should turn to Allah in repentance, seek His forgiveness, give back rights to whom they belong, and pay the oath expiation.

The imam recited a verse containing a prostration of recitation (*sajdat al-tilāwah*) but did not prostrate. After the imam's *salām*, a follower (*maʾmūm*) performed a prostration of forgetfulness (*sujūd al-sahw*) because the imam had not performed the prostration of recitation. Is it permissible to go against the imam in this way?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
There is no sin on the imam if he omits the prostration of recitation (sujūd al-tilāwah), even deliberately. The maʾmūm (the one following the imam) is obliged to follow the imam in the prayer, so if the imam does not perform the prostration of recitation, it is not permissible for the follower to prostrate, because the imam is appointed only to be followed.
If the follower introduces a prostration after the imam’s salām but before his own salām, in a case where there is no prostration of forgetfulness (sujūd al-sahw), his prayer is invalidated if he knew it to be prohibited. Otherwise, he is excused on account of his ignorance and his prayer is not invalidated.
It is stated in Ḥāshiyat al-Imām al-Jamal ʿalā Fatḥ al-Wahhāb: “His statement: ‘So the omission of the hayʾāt (the non-essential sunnahs of the prayer) is not compensated for by prostration; if one prostrates for any of them deliberately, his prayer is invalidated, unless he is excused due to his ignorance.’”
Since this issue is one that is hidden from the laymen, as it is among the subtleties of knowledge, and the laymen are excused for ignorance of whatever is of such a nature, and their act of obedience is not invalidated because of it, it may be said that the prayer of one who has not acquired knowledge of this issue is not invalidated, with the necessity of learning the rulings remaining. As for after knowing it, the prayer is invalidated. And Allah Almighty knows best.

Must a person refrain from eating for the rest of the day if they break a fast of a vow (nadhr) or a make up fast (qada)?

 

Whoever observes a vowed fast (nadhr) or a makeup fast (qada) is prohibited from breaking it without a valid excuse. If they break it without a legitimate reason, they are sinful.
However, they are not required to refrain from eating for the rest of the day, because such restraint is only required out of respect for the month of Ramadan, not for other types of fasting.

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.

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