Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(310): "Sighting the Crescent of Ramadan, 1443 AH"

Date Added : 03-04-2022

Resolution No.(310) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Sighting the Crescent of Ramadan, 1443 AH"

Date: (29/ Sha`ban/1443 AH), corresponding to (1/4/2022 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 4th meeting held on the above date, the Board reviewed sighting the crescent of Ramadan for this year (1443AH) based on the astronomical calculations conducted by the Crescents Committee of the General Iftaa` Department.

After deliberations, 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 (Peace and blessings be upon him) 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 convened on Friday evening (29th of Sha`ban, 1442 AH, corresponding to 1/4/2022) 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, Sunday, (3/4/2022) is the first day of the holy month of Ramadan for this blessed year, 1443AH.

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 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

Dr. Mahmoud al-Sartawi/ Member

Sheikh Sa`eid Al-Hijjawi/ Member

Prof. Adam Nooh Al-Qhodat/ Member

Prof. Amjad Rasheed/Member

Atif Ali Al-Qhodah (Acting Mufti of Jordan Armed Forces)/ Member

Dr. Jamil Khatatbeh/ Member

Dr. Ahmad al-Hasanat/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Younis Al-Zou`bi/ Member

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on using a patch to suppress hunger or a nicotine patch while fasting?

Fasting is a great act of worship and one of the pillars of Islam. If people knew the immense reward of Ramadan, they would wish for the whole year to be Ramadan.
Whoever eats Suhoor and breaks their fast according to the Sunnah will not experience extreme hardship, making such patches unnecessary.
However, using these patches does not break the fast because they are not a source of nourishment and do not enter the body cavity (jauf) through an open passage.

When does the time for Udhiyah begin?

 
In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The permissible timeframe for Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) begins on the day of Eid al-Adha—the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah—once the sun has risen and a period of time sufficient to perform two brief prayer units (Rak'ahs) and two short sermons (Khutbahs) has passed. This window remains open until the sun sets on the final day of Tashreeq, which is the 13th of Dhul-Hijjah.
 
Our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), said: "Every valley of Mina is a place of sacrifice, and slaughtering may be done throughout all the days of Tashreeq." (Narrated by Al-Bayhaqi and Ibn Hibban)
 
The days of Tashreeq refer to the 11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah.
 
The most virtuous time to perform the sacrifice is immediately after concluding the Eid prayer, based on the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The first thing we do on this day of ours is to pray, then we return and offer our sacrifice. Whoever does that has acted in accordance with our Sunnah (tradition), and whoever slaughters before that, it is merely meat he has provided for his family; it has nothing to do with the ritual sacrifice." (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
 
What is meant here is an estimation of time rather than the actual performance of the prayer itself, as our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), used to offer the Eid al-Adha prayer immediately after sunrise.
 
The sacrifice is valid if performed at any time during these designated days, whether by day or by night, though slaughtering at night is considered disliked (Makruh). And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

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.

What is the ruling on using the *subḥah* (prayer beads) to count during *tasbīḥ* and *dhikr*?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is recommended to use the ordinary or electronic subḥah (prayer beads or counter) to count tasbīḥ, dhikr, and istighfār, because it helps one to remember Allah. Many reports have been transmitted from the Companions and the Followers (tābiʿūn) showing that they continued to use strings of date pits as an aid to dhikr and tasbīḥ.
It is one of the lawful means of worship. Indeed, what is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), namely that he counted tasbīḥ on his right hand, shows that it is permissible to count tasbīḥ with whatever helps a Muslim keep track of the number. There is therefore no basis for calling it an innovation (bidʿah), and we know of no jurist who said so.
Al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Suyūṭī (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote a dedicated treatise on the subject titled al-Minḥah fī al-Subḥah, printed within al-Ḥāwī li’l-Fatāwī (vol. 4–6).
Shaykh al-Islām Imam Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: Does the subḥah have a basis in the Sunnah? He replied: “Yes, and al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Suyūṭī wrote on this. Among the evidence is what is authentically reported from Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both): ‘I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) counting tasbīḥ on his hand.’ Ibn Abī Shaybah, Abū Dāwūd, and al-Tirmidhī also narrated: ‘Hold fast to tasbīḥ, tahlīl, and taqdīs, and do not be heedless, lest you forget the affirmation of Allah’s oneness (tawḥīd). Count them on the fingertips, for they will be questioned and made to speak.’ Counting tasbīḥ with pebbles, date pits, and a knotted string has also been reported from a group of the Companions and those after them. Some scholars held that counting on the fingertips is better than the subḥah, based on the ḥadīth of Ibn ʿUmar. Others distinguished, saying: if the one reciting is safe from miscounting, counting on the fingertips is better; otherwise the subḥah is better.” [al-Fatāwā al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kubrā, Vol.1/p.152]. And Allah Almighty knows best.