Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(308): "Ruling on Selling Work Permits"

Date Added : 03-04-2022

Resolution No.(308)(3/2022) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Selling Work Permits"

Date: (24/ Sha`ban/1443 AH), corresponding to (27/3/2022 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 3rd meeting held on the above date, the Board received the following question: What is the ruling of Sharia on selling work permits?

After deliberating, the Board arrived at the following decision:

Work permits of expatriate workers are governed by the laws and regulations of the ministries concerned; therefore, they are to be observed since breaking them leads to general harm that affects the country`s economic situation and the labor market. These laws and regulations should be adhered to because they were originally made to prevent exploitation of human beings and labor trafficking, in addition to combating corruption that could take place in this sector.

Accordingly, it isn`t allowed for an employer to sell work permits because these stipulate specific conditions regarding the worker as well as the type of work, so selling them is a clear violation of these conditions. This is in addition to the fact that selling a permit is selling a property that the employer doesn`t actually own since the relevant ministry is the only authority entitled to grant this right, and , in principle, an employer should abide by the terms of the contract. The evidence on this is that Almighty Allah Says {What means}: "O ye who believe! fulfil (all) obligations."{Al-Ma`idah/1}. Moreover, the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The Muslims will be held to their conditions." {Related by Tirmithi}. It can be added that selling these permits could lead to corruption and preying on the need of workers to make a living. Therefore, conditions stipulated in these work permits should be adhered to. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.

 Chairperson of Iftaa` Board,

Grand Mufti of Jordan,

Dr. Abdulkareem al-Khasawneh

Dr. Mohammad al-Khalayleh/ Member

Dr. Mahmoud al-Sartawi/ Member

Sheikh Sa`eid Al-Hijjawi/ Member

Prof. Adam Nooh Al-Qhodat/ Member

Prof. Amjad Rasheed/Member

Dr. Jamil Khatatbeh/ Member

Dr. Ahmad al-Hasanat/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Younis Al-Zou`bi/ Member

 

 

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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.

What is the ruling on purchasing sacrificial animals and authorizing their slaughter via telephone?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is preferable for the one offering a sacrifice (udhiyah) to slaughter the animal himself, in adherence to the Sunnah, or to be present at the slaughter if possible.
 
It is valid to authorize a butcher to purchase a sacrificial animal on his behalf and slaughter it, regardless of whether the animal is owned by the butcher or the butcher is acting as an agent in its sale—according to the Hanbali school—provided that the butcher specifically designates and purchases the animal for the person offering the sacrifice before slaughtering it. And Allah Almighty knows best.

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 is the ruling on the prayer of the individual following the imam whose prayer is broadcasted via television?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Among the conditions for the validity of following an Imam (Sihhat al-Iqtida’) is that the Imam and the follower (Ma’mum) must be in the same location. Therefore, the prayer of one who follows an Imam whose prayer is being broadcast via television from a distant location is not valid. However, if the follower is with the Imam in the same mosque, the prayer is valid. And Allah the Exalted knows best.