Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(333):"Ruling on Considering Agricultural Projects for the Poor as Ongoing Charity (Sadaqah Jariyah)"

Date Added : 26-03-2026

Resolution No.(333): "Ruling on Considering Agricultural Projects for the Poor as Ongoing Charity (Sadaqah Jariyah)"

 

 Date: (19/ Ramadan/ 1447 AH), corresponding to (March 9, 2026 AD)

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Master Muhammad, and upon all his family and companions. 

The Board of Iftaa’, Research, and Islamic Studies, in its third session held on the above, reviewed the inquiry submitted by the "Tkiyet Um Ali" Foundation, which states:

We, Tkiyet Um Ali—in partnership with the Dar Abu Abdullah Association—are launching an economic project to serve the poor beneficiaries of the Tkiyet through agricultural projects, where the financial returns go to the benefit of the poor laborers working in these projects. A donor may contribute one or more shares at a value of fifty dinars per share. These include sustainable hydroponic projects, such as greenhouses, climate-smart systems, and smart irrigation. Other projects include tailoring and home production using modern equipment and sustainable supplies to link high-quality products to the market. The Question that arises here is : Are these donations considered 'Ongoing Charity' (Sadaqah Jariyah)? Which of the mentioned projects qualify as such? And can spending and donating to these projects be considered among the valid channels of Zakat?

After research, study, and deliberation, the Board decided the following:

First: It is obligatory to distribute Zakat to its eligible recipients among the categories mentioned in the words of Allah the Almighty: "Zakat expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakat] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise." [At-Tawbah/60].

The jurists, deriving from this noble verse, stated that Zakat must result in transfer of ownership (Tamleek) to the poor person. It is not sufficient for the poor person to merely be a laborer in a project, nor is it permissible to establish investment projects with Zakat funds. The jurists made no exception except for the Sovereign (Wali al-Amr) or his representative, allowing them to grant the poor person ownership of Zakat in the form of a project from which they can earn a living. As for private entities, they are not permitted to do so based on the "Lām of Ownership" (Lām al-Tamleek) in the verse.

Second: Regarding Voluntary Charity (Sadaqah al-Tatawwu’), Ongoing Charity (Sadaqah Jariyah), and Endowments (Waqf); it is permissible to receive and spend them for the purposes for which they were collected, provided that the donors are aware of the intent of their donations. This is because voluntary charities and donations are managed according to the conditions set by the donor.

Third: Regarding whether the mentioned projects are considered Ongoing Charity: Scholars have interpreted "Ongoing Charity" as being an Endowment (Waqf) and anything that provides continuous benefit. As Imam al-Shirbini (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

"In terms of Sharia, Waqf is the retention of a property from which benefit can be derived while the asset itself remains intact, by terminating any right of disposal over its core ownership, for a permissible and existing recipient. Ongoing Charity is understood by scholars to mean Waqf, as stated by al-Rafi’i, for other types of charity are not 'ongoing'; rather, the recipient immediately owns both the asset and its benefits." (Mughni al-Muhtaj,Vol. 3/P.523).

We hope in Allah that these projects, which provide lasting benefit, will carry the reward of Ongoing Charity. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

Chairperson of Iftaa` Board,

Grand Mufti of Jordan,

Dr. Ahmad Al-Hasanat

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh/ Member

Prof. Mahmood Al-Sartawi/ Member

Dr. Zaid Al-Kilani/ Member

Sheikh Sa`eid Al-Hijjawi/ Member

Dr. Atif Al-Qhodah/ Member

Judge Fares Foraihat/ Member

Prof. Adam Nooh Al-Qhodat/ Member

Dr. Amjad Rasheed/ Member

Prof. Waleed Al-Shaweesh/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Younis Al-Zou`bi/ Member

Decision Number [ Previous ]


Summarized Fatawaa

Does using a respiratory device (oxygen) affect the validity of fasting?

Using an oxygen device does not affect the validity of fasting because oxygen is a gas with no physical substance.
However, if medicinal substances with physical particles are added to the oxygen, its use would break the fast, as it enters the body cavity through a natural passage.

What is the ruling on praying seated due to severe obesity, given that I experience hardship in performing the prayer — especially when rising from the ground after sujūd to perform the next rak‘ah?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Standing, when one is able to do so, is a pillar of the prayer. However, whoever would experience severe, intolerable hardship, or fears harm to himself or to a limb due to obesity, or finds that standing causes him to lose his khushū‘ (humble focus and concentration) in prayer, then there is no objection to his praying seated on a chair or on the ground, performing rukū‘ (bowing) and sujūd (prostration) through gesture — provided that the gesture for sujūd is made lower than that for rukū‘. Whoever is able, at any point, to properly perform any one of these pillars, is obligated to perform it in full; for omitting it is a concession that applies only in cases of genuine inability. The Prophet ﷺ said: "When I command you to do something, do of it whatever you are able." (Related by al-Bukhārī). As the scholars of fiqh have established: what remains possible is not waived on account of what is difficult.
The criterion for determining genuine inability, as chosen by Imam al-Ḥaramayn al-Juwaynī (raḥimahullāh), is that the worshipper experiences hardship that causes him to lose his khushū‘.
As for voluntary (nafl) prayer, there is no objection to performing it while seated, even if one is able to stand. However, rukū‘ and sujūd must still be performed [in their proper physical form] by anyone who is able to do so. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on using moisturizing creams on the skin during the day in Ramadan?

Using moisturizing creams on the skin does not break the fast because they do not enter the body cavity (jauf). Any absorption that occurs through the skin pores does not count as entering through an open passage.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on someone who wakes up in a state of janābah (major ritual impurity) near the very end of the prayer's designated time, during cold weather — should he heat water in order to perform ghusl, even though the prayer's time will expire as a result, or should he perform tayammum instead?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
If the water is cold, and cannot be used due to fear of harm that is not ordinarily tolerable, or that would result in illness, then in this case it becomes obligatory to heat the water — even if heating it causes the time for Fajr to expire — and no sin is incurred in doing so, due to his valid excuse. He may not resort to tayammum (dry ablution) instead, since water remains available [and merely needs to be heated].
Imam Shihāb ad-Dīn Aḥmad ar-Ramlī (raḥimahullāh) said: "He was asked regarding a person who, if he were to use cold water, would experience harm that permits tayammum, and who has access to something with which he could heat the water — but if he heats it, the prayer's time will expire. Is it obligatory for him to heat it even if the time expires, or should he pray with tayammum within the prescribed time? He answered that it is obligatory for him to heat the water, even if the time for that particular obligatory prayer expires." [Fatāwā ar-Ramlī, Vol.1/P.98]
Imam al-Bājūrī (raḥimahullāh) said in his Ḥāshiyah on Sharḥ Ibn Qāsim (Vol.1/P.173): "And if he fears [harm] from using cold water, and is currently unable to heat it, but knows of a place where firewood is available, such that if he were to go there he would not return until after the prescribed time has expired — what appears [to be the correct position] is that it is obligatory for him to go and seek the firewood, even if the time expires as a result, as this is the position ultimately settled upon by ar-Ramlī, and as related from him by Ibn Qāsim." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.