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Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

"resolution No.(307): "Organized Banking Tawarruq is Forbidden from the Perspective of the Higher Objectives of Sharia"

Date Added : 09-01-2022

Resolution No.(307)(15/2021): By The Board of Iftaa', Researches and Islamic Studies:

"Organized Banking Tawarruq is Forbidden from the Perspective of the Maqasid of Sharia"

Date: (25th of Jumada Al Oula, 1443 AH), corresponding to (30/12/2021 AD).

 

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

On its sixteenth meeting held on the above date, the Board of Iftaa`, Research, and Islamic Studies reviewed the issue of organized banking Tawarruq* or what is sometimes called "Personal Finance" offered by some Islamic banks.

After careful consideration, the Board decided the following:

Unlike conventional banks, Islamic banks rest on meeting the Maqasid of Sharia (The higher objectives of Sharia) as well as observing its rulings. For this, their transactions, in essence, are based on supporting the real economy and applying the methods of investment, which comply with the rules of Sharia.

From the perspective of Sharia, in contracts, intentions and meanings, not words and structures, as well as outcomes shall be taken into consideration, so dealing with organized banking Tawarruq is prohibited  based on the maxim "Prohibition of what may lead to sins", which is, in this case, Riba (Usury/interest). This is in addition to emphasizing that the difference between Islamic and conventional banks isn`t a mere difference of form. Moreover, this Tawarruq will have a negative impact of the Islamic economy because there is no real growth nor rotation of the economic sectors; consequently, many Fiqh academies, Fatwa houses, and the majority of the scholars issued Fatwas prohibiting organized Tawarruq.

During its 19nth meeting/2009 AD, the International Islamic Fiqh Academy issued a resolution prohibiting the organized banking Tawarruq or what is called "The Personal Financing." The reason for this is that there is explicit, implicit, or customary collusion between the financier (Bank) and the customer whereby the latter gets instant cash for a higher amount that he/she owes to the bank, and this is usury per se. We can add that this has been confirmed by the Iftaa` Board of Jordan through Resolution No.(3/2012) which considered organized Tawarruq as a form of circumventing Riba because the real objective is obtaining instant money in return for paying extra amount to the bank.

In conclusion, we confirm this Resolution and rule that Islamic banks must abide by the Sharia-compliant investment methods that achieve the higher objectives of Sharia. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best. 

 

 

Chairperson of Iftaa` Board,

Grand Mufti of Jordan,

Dr. Abdulkareem al-Khasawneh

Dr. Mohammad al-Khalayleh

Prof. Mahmoud al-Sartawi/ Member

Dr. Majed al-Darawsheh/ Member

Sheikh Sa`eid Al-Hijjawi, Member

Judge Samer Al-Khobbaj/ Member

Prof. Adam Nooh Al-Qhodaat/Member

Prof. Amjad Rasheed/Member

Dr. Jamil Khatatbeh/Member

Dr. Ahmad al-Hasanat/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Younis Al-Zou`bi/ Member

 

 

* Tawarruq means a sale contract in which the buyer obtains merchandise on credit and then sells it at a loss to the original seller for cash. And Allah Knows Best

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What are the legal and religious consequences for a charitable organization in the event that a sacrificial animal is damaged or spoiled after slaughter?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
Charitable organizations entrusted with slaughtering sacrificial animals (uḍḥiyyah) and distributing their meat on behalf of their owners are obligated to safeguard the meat from spoilage, damage, theft, and any other harm. This is because such organizations act as agents (wukalā') on behalf of those offering the sacrifice, and an agent holds what is entrusted to them in trust (amānah) — whether they receive a wage for their work or act on a voluntary basis.
If the sacrificial animal is damaged after slaughter during the processes of packaging, transportation, or storage due to negligence or oversight — whether on the part of the organization's own staff overseeing the operation, or on the part of third parties contracted by the organization such as transport or shipping companies — then liability falls upon the negligent party, who is required to compensate for the value of the sacrifice. It is not permissible to cover such compensation from the organization's other donor funds.
However, if the damage to the sacrificial animal occurs without any negligence in its preservation and storage on the part of any party involved in the transportation, shipping, or storage process, and is instead attributable to force majeure circumstances beyond their control, then no financial liability is borne by any party in such a case. And Allah Almighty knows best.

Is Zakah (obligatory charity) due on articles of merchandise even if they were stacked in the merchant`s stores for years?

Yes, Zakah is due on goods even if they were stacked in merchant`s stores for years, in this manner Islam struggle against monopoly.

What is the ruling on discharges two or three days before the expected period of menstruation and the light-colored blood accompanying it? Must the woman abstain from prayer during this period?

If the total duration of these blood-tinged discharges reaches a day and a night (24 hours) or more, it is considered menstruation. If their total does not exceed 24 hours, it is not considered menstruation but is irregular bleeding (dam al-fasad). Each woman has specific cases for which she should ask the scholars. 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.

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