Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No. (323): "Sighting the Crescent Moon of the Month of Shawwal, 1444"

Date Added : 27-04-2023

Resolution No.(323)(4 /2023) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Sighting the Crescent Moon of the Month of Shawwal, 1444"

 

Date :(29/Ramadan/1444 H), corresponding to (20/4/2023).

 

Praise be to the Lord of all worlds. Prayers and peace be upon our Prophet, Muhammad, his family and all of his companions.

 

 On its fifth session held on the above date, the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies reviewed sighting the crescent of the month of Shawwal for this year (1444 H). 

 

After deliberating, the Board decided the following:

 

"In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"

 

  Almighty Allah Says (What means): "A token unto them is night. We strip it of the day, and lo! they are in darkness.And a Sign for them is the Night: We withdraw therefrom the Day, and behold they are plunged in darkness;And the sun runs his course for a period determined for him: that is the decree of (Him), the Exalted in Might, The All-Knowing. And the Moon,- We have measured for her mansions (to traverse) till she returns like the old (and withered) lower part of a date-stalk.is not permitted to the Sun to catch up the Moon, nor can the Night outstrip the Day: Each (just) swims along in (its own) orbit (according to Law)." {Ya-Sin/37-40}. He, The Exalted, also Says: "(He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful." {Al-Baqarah/185}. In addition, the Prophet (PBUH) says: "The fast is the day the people fast, the breaking of the fast is the day the people break their fast." {At-Tirmithi}.

 

 Based on the findings-which were harmonious with the astronomical calculations-of the Crescent Sighting Committee of the General Iftaa Department and the concerned authorities, it was ascertained to the Board that tomorrow, Friday, 21/4/2023, will be the first of Shawwal for this year: (1444 H), and so it is the first day of the Eid of Fitr.

 

  Accordingly, the Board is pleased to extend the warmest of congratulations to His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein, His crown Prince, and the Hashemite Family on this blessed occasion. May Allah Protect His Majesty and Grant Him good health.

 

  The Board also extends its congratulations to the people of Jordan and the Arab and Muslim Nation. It asks Allah to Accept our fast and night prayers and shower our beloved Jordan as well as the Muslim world with peace, security, stability and blessings. We pray that Allah, The Almighty, accepts our acts of devotion and erases our sins. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Can an Udhiyah be made up if its time is missed?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
If the sacrificial animal (udhiyah) is a voluntary (nafl) offering and its prescribed time is missed after the three days of Tashriq have ended, then it is not to be made up as a sacrifice; rather, it becomes merely a sheep for meat.
 
However, if it was a vowed (nadhr) sacrifice and its time is missed, then it must still be slaughtered, and the slaughtered animal is to be treated as it would have been during its prescribed lawful time. And Allah Almighty knows best.

Is the Saying "Whatever is Taken by the Sword of Shyness is Forbidden" an Authentic Ḥadīth?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The saying "Whatever is taken by the sword of shyness is forbidden" is not an authentic ḥadīth, though its underlying meaning is sound. The established sharʿī principle is that a Muslim's wealth is not lawful for anyone to take except with his wholehearted consent, as Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly, but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent." [Al-Nisā/ 29] And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Listen to me and you will live well: do not wrong others, do not wrong others, do not wrong others. Indeed, a man's wealth is not lawful except with his full, willing consent." (Reported by Aḥmad in his Musnad.) Whatever is taken through the pressure of shyness or social embarrassment runs directly counter to genuine, wholehearted consent.
The jurists have explicitly stated that whatever is taken by means of the "sword of shyness" carries the same ruling as that which is taken by coercion — it must be returned to its rightful owner.
Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states in al-Fatāwā al-Kubrā (Vol.3/P.30): "Do you not see the reported scholarly consensus that whoever has something taken from him purely out of shyness, without his genuine consent, does not pass ownership of it to the one who took it? They reasoned that this constitutes a form of coercion through the 'sword of shyness,' comparable to coercion at the point of an actual sword. Indeed, many people would rather submit to the literal sword and endure the pain of its wound than submit to this first kind of coercion, out of fear for their dignity and standing — which people of sound judgment hold dear and guard most fiercely." And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the virtue of Laylat al-Qadr?

It is enough to know its great status that Allah revealed an entire surah about it—Surah Al-Qadr. Moreover, the Quran was first revealed on this night.
Allah says {what means}:
"We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power: And what will explain to thee what the night of power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah's permission, on every errand: Peace!... This until the rise of morn!" [Al-Qadr/1-5]
The Prophet ﷺ taught us to observe I‘tikaf in the last ten nights of Ramadan, seeking Laylat al-Qadr. Whoever worships Allah and revives this night will receive the reward of worshiping for a thousand months—excluding Laylat al-Qadr itself.

What is the ruling on I‘tikaf in Ramadan?

I‘tikaf is Sunnah in Ramadan, and it is even more emphasized in the last ten nights, in the hope of witnessing Laylat al-Qadr.