Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(202): "Ruling on Collecting Zakah in Return for a Known Percentage from the Collected Amount"

Date Added : 05-10-2015

Resolution  No.(202) (12/2014), by The Board of Iftaa', Researches and Islamic Studies:

 Ruling on Collecting Zakah in Return for a Known Percentage from the Collected Amount

Date: (25/Shawal/1435 A.H); corresponding to (21/8/2014 A.D)

 

All praise is due to Allah, peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon his family and companions.

The Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies reviewed, in its tenth session held on Thursday (25/Shawal/1435 A.H)-(21/8/2014 A.D), the formal letter of His Eminence, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Religious Endowments, and it reads as follows:

A company working in the media sector is about to start a TV show for raising monetary and in-kind donations for the Zakaah Fund. The show includes conducting field visits to beneficiaries of the Fund in order to brief them on its various activities and projects for promotional purposes provided that (25%) of the donations is used to cover the expenses of production, photography..etc. Would your grace refer this matter to the Iftaa` Board in order to clarify the ruling of Sharia in this regard.

After careful study and deliberation, the Board decided what follows:

The funds of Zakah (obligatory charity) are a trust at the disposal of the Zakah Fund. The Fund is to safe keep, take care of and spend from these funds in line with what Allah, The Almighty, Has Prescribed. He Says (What means): “Alms are for the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer the (funds); for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled (to Truth); for those in bondage and in debt; in the cause of God; and for the wayfarer: (thus is it) ordained by God, and God is full of knowledge and wisdom.” {At-Tawbah/60}.

Giving a portion from the collected Zakah funds to such a company is inconsistent with  any of the eight categories mentioned in the aforesaid verse since those employed to administer the funds are entitled to receive an amount parallel to their work and effort, and in accordance with specified rulings that aren`t met in this situation particularly since the company is charging a percentage that could grow to become thousands of JDs which results in squandering the Zakah funds in channels other than those for which it has originally been prescribed. This is in addition to the fact that Zakaah hasn`t been prescribed to be a factor in multiplying the wealth of media companies. Accordingly, we deem that such a project is impermissible from the view point of Sharia. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Head of the Iftaa` Board, The Mufti General of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, His Grace Sheikh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh.

Dr. Yahia Al-Botoosh/ Member

His Eminence, Sheikh Sa`ied Hijjawi/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-Essa/ Member

Prof. Abduln`nassir Abu Al Bass`al/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Zou`bi/ Member

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on wiping the head during ablution from behind a barrier like a headscarf (hijab)?

The obligation in ablution is to wipe some of the head; it is not a condition to wipe all of it. As for one who has a turban or headscarf on their head, it is permissible for them to wipe over it after wiping a part of their head in any place. This is easily done at the front of the head. This means the woman begins by wiping the front of her head from under the headscarf, then completes the wiping to the back of the head from over the headscarf. If the woman wipes over the headscarf on her head and the moisture reaches the scalp or some hair within the boundaries of the head, it suffices for wiping the head. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on waiving a debt owed by a debtor and counting it toward zakāh?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Waiving a debt owed by a debtor, with the intention of counting it toward zakāh, does not fulfill the zakāh obligation. Rather, it constitutes an ordinary act of charity, for which Allah rewards the giver generously — since one of the conditions for the validity of zakāh is that the person paying it must form the intention of zakāh at the actual moment the wealth is paid out. In this case, the debt has already been established as a standing obligation upon the borrower, so it is not valid to simply redirect the intention toward zakāh after the fact.
It is preferable, instead, for the creditor to first collect the debt from the debtor, and then return to him the amount of money he is required to pay as zakāh — or a portion of it — if the debtor happens to fall under one of the eight categories that Allah, the Exalted, has commanded be given from zakāh.
It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik, from the books of the Shāfi‘ī school: "If someone gives [money] to a poor person, stipulating that the recipient return it to him in payment of a debt owed to him, or says, 'I am making what you owe me into zakāh, so take it [as such]' — this is not valid. But if he gives it to him with the [unstated] intention that the recipient will use it to repay him, or says, 'Repay what you owe me, so that I may [then separately] give it to you as zakāh,' or the debtor himself says, 'Give it to me, so that I may [then] repay you with it' — this is valid, and there is no binding obligation for the recipient to actually fulfill this [informal understanding]." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on swearing a false oath by the Holy Quran?

Swearing a false oath by the Holy Quran dips the oath-taker in Hellfire, and one who had done so should turn to Allah in repentance, seek His forgiveness, give back rights to whom they belong, and pay the oath expiation.

Who is "the poor" entitled to receive Zakah (obligatory charity)?

The poor is the one who has neither money nor a source of living, or has either of them, but it isn`t sufficient such as being in need for a hundred/JDs, and having an income of forty/JDs only.