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Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(301): "Sighting the Crescent of Ramadan,1442 AH"

Date Added : 14-04-2021

Resolution No.(301)(5/2021) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Sighting the Crescent of Ramadan, 1442 AH"

Date: (29/ Sha`ban/1442 AH), corresponding to (12/4/2021 AD).

 

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.

At its fifth session held on the above date, the Board reviewed sighting the crescent of Ramadan for this year (1442) based on the astronomical calculations conducted by the Crescents Committee of the General Iftaa` Department. 

After deliberating, the Board arrived at the following decision:

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Allah, The Almighty, Says {What means}: "Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting" {Al-Baqarah/185}. Allah also Says {What means}: "They ask thee concerning the New Moons. Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) men, and for Pilgrimage" {Al-Baqarah/189}. Moreover, the Prophet (PBUH) says: "Observe fast on sighting it (the new moon) and break it on sighting it." {Related by Bukhari}.

In compliance with the texts of Sharia, the Iftaa` Board Board convened on Monday evening (29th of Sha`ban, 1442 AH, corresponding to 12/4/2021) to sight the crescent of Ramadan (the new moon).

Based on the findings of the Crescent Sighting Committee, which were harmonious with the astronomical calculations, at The General Iftaa` Department and other specialized authorities, it was ascertained to the Board that tomorrow, Tuesday, (13/4/2021) is the first day of the holy month of Ramadan for this blessed year, 1442 AH. 

On this blessed occasion, the Board extends the warmest of congratulations to His Majesty King Abdullah the Second Ibn Al-Hussein, His Crown Prince, and the Hashemite Family, praying that Allah Protects His Majesty and Grants him a good health.

The Board also extends its congratulations to the people of Jordan as well as the Arab and Muslim Nation. It also prays that Allah makes it a month of peace, security, faith, goodness and piety. And may Allah Accept our fast and night prayers. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.

 

Chairperson of Iftaa` Board,

Grand Mufti of Jordan,

Sheikh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh, Member          Professor Mahmoud al-Sartawi, Member

Dr. Majid al-Darawsheh, Member

Sheikh Sa`eid Al-Hijjawi, Member            Judge, Dr. Samer al-Kobbaj, Member

Prof. Adam Nooh Al-Qhodaat, Member

Professor Amjad Rasheed, Member   Dr. Jameel Khatatbeh, Member

Dr. Ahmad Al-Hasanat, Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Zou`bi, Member

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on the prayer of zawal?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is recommended (sunnah) to pray four rakʿāt — either with a single tasleem or as two separate sets of two rakʿāt — immediately following the sun's decline from its zenith (zawāl). This prayer is distinct from the regular Sunnah prayer of Ẓuhr (sunnat al-ẓuhr al-rātibah), as explicitly stated by the Shāfiʿī jurists.
It is mentioned in Nihāyat al-Muḥtāj: "The prayer of zawāl is offered after the sun's decline — so were one to perform it before that, it would not count. It consists of two or four rakʿāt and is distinct from the Sunnah of Ẓuhr, as is evident from the fact that it is mentioned separately after the regular Sunnah prayers, and it becomes a make-up prayer (qaḍāʾ) if a long period of time passes by customary reckoning... Al-ʿAlqamī stated: 'Scholars refer to this as the Sunnah of Zawāl, and it is distinct from the four rakʿāt that constitute the Sunnah of Ẓuhr.' Our shaykh said: Al-Ḥāfiẓ al-ʿIrāqī stated that among those who explicitly affirmed its recommendation was al-Ghazālī in al-Iḥyāʾ, in the chapter on devotional litanies, noting that there is no tasleem between them — meaning there is no break between each pair of rakʿāt."
The time of the sun's decline (zawāl) marks the very beginning of the time for the Ẓuhr prayer.
And Allah the Almighty knows best.

My father has debts and asked me to repay them years ago, and I promised him I would do so upon his death — is it permissible for me to go back on my promise given that I am unable to repay them, especially since he refuses to contribute to repayment on the grounds that the debt has become my responsibility by virtue of my promise?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The established principle is that a father's debt is to be repaid from his own wealth, if he possesses sufficient means. As for the promise made by the son to repay it on his father's behalf, fulfilling such a promise is strongly recommended, and breaking it is considerably disliked. Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Fulfilling a promise is emphatically recommended, and breaking it is severely disliked. The evidences for this from the Qurʾān and the Sunnah are well known." [Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn,Vol. 2/P.278] Shaykh al-Islām Imām Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī, may Allah have mercy upon him, further states: "The reason fulfilling a promise is not obligatory and breaking it is not forbidden is that a promise is in the nature of a gift, and a gift does not become binding except upon receipt." [Asnā al-Maṭālib fī Sharḥ Rawḍ al-Ṭālib,Vol. 2/P.487]
Given that the son does not possess the financial means to fulfil his promise to his father, breaking this promise falls beyond his capacity — and Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. Since the father himself possesses sufficient wealth to settle his own debt, repayment must be made from his own funds. Should he pass away before doing so, the debt is to be settled from his estate. And Allah the Almighty 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.

What is the ruling on someone who curses the religion or commits an act of disbelief during the day in Ramadan?

Whoever apostatizes (leaves Islam) while fasting, their fast is invalid. Cursing the religion is an act of apostasy (may Allah protect us from it). Such a person must return to Islam by pronouncing the Shahadah (testimony of faith), seek Allah’s forgiveness, refrain from eating and drinking for the rest of the day, and make up for that day’s fast later.

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