Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(176): "Ruling on Murabaha Sale where the Purchaser is Authorized to Conclude the Contract, or to Collect the Commodity in Question"

Date Added : 29-10-2015

 

Resolution No.(176)(8/2012) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Murabaha Sale where the Purchaser is Authorized to Conclude the Contract, or to Collect the Commodity in Question"

Date: (8/8/1433 A.H) (28/6/2012 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 fourth session held on Monday (8/8/1433 A.H)-(28/6/2012 A.D), the following question:

What is the ruling on a financial institution, which deals in Murabaha, authorizing the purchaser to purchase the commodity and possess it?

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

Islamic banks are in the vanguard of financial procession due to their success at times of crises and economic challenges. They have proven that the Islamic Economy is the soundest and most productive means of development and stability, and that its foundations secure the equilibrium between the benefit of the individual and the interest of the community.

In its bid to set this procession straight, and cleanse it from doubtful matters (lawful or unlawful) and trickery, the Board has decided to ban authorizing the purchaser, or his deputy from purchasing in-kind commodities and collecting them on behalf of the institution dealing in Murabaha in order to prohibit usurious borrowing  and employing trickery to legalize it. This is also because the outcome of deputizing is a factor in resembling the usurious loans, thus the transaction takes the form of cash for cash, but with an extra amount added to the original one (Usury/interest). This particularly happens when the deputizing process becomes a regular pattern adopted by Islamic Murabaha Institutions, thus we fear that these would lose  the essence of true trading which differentiates them from the usurious  banks.

The Board advises the various Islamic financial institutions to direct their employees to purchase commodities and collect them on behalf of these institutions, and to abide by the Murabaha system ratified by the Fiqh Assemblies and Islamic bodies, so as to purify the transaction from flaws and doubtful matters as well as maintain the accomplishments of Islamic banking that have been achieved recently. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Chairman of the General Iftaa` Board, His grace the Mufti General of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Sheikh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh

Sheikh Sa`ied Hijjawi/ Member

Prof. Abdulsalam Al-Abbadi/ Member

Prof. Mohammad Al-Khwdah/Member

Prof. Abdul N`nassir Abu-Al-bas`sal/Member

Dr.Yahia Al-Boutoosh/Member

Dr. Wasif Al-Bakhri/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Az`zoubi/ Member

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Summarized Fatawaa

What advice do you have for those who spend their nights and days of Ramadan watching TV?

Time is too precious to be wasted on entertainment, let alone in the blessed month of Ramadan, where a Muslim should strive for reward and forgiveness.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on a fictitious marriage for the purpose of obtaining citizenship?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
There is no such thing in our noble sharīʿah as a "nominal" or "fictitious" marriage or divorce. Marriage and divorce are among the sacred ordinances of Allah, and it is not permissible to manipulate them or use them as a stratagem to obtain worldly gains.
The foundational purpose of a marriage contract is the permanence and continuity of the relationship between the spouses — to establish a family, and to bring forth righteous offspring. So sacred is this bond that Allah the Almighty Himself described it as a solemn covenant (mīthāq ghalīẓ), saying {what means}: "And if you wish to replace one wife with another and you have given one of them a great amount of wealth, do not take any of it back. Would you take it in injustice and manifest sin? And how could you take it while you have gone in unto each other and they have taken from you a solemn covenant?" [Al-Nisāʾ/ 20–21]
Accordingly, it is not permissible to resort to manipulation and deception in contracts that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has described as a "solemn covenant" — all for the sake of material and worldly benefit. Marriage is built upon permanence and does not admit of a fixed time limit. If a time limit is stipulated in the contract, the contract is rendered invalid by the consensus of the jurists. Similarly, marriage is impermissible when there exists a mutual, concealed intention to limit its duration — even if no time limit is explicitly mentioned in the contract — for this constitutes a form of unlawful circumvention of the sharīʿah. This is to say nothing of the lying and deception that such conduct involves, the prohibition of which needs no elaboration. Lying, deception, and fraud for the purpose of obtaining worldly gains are among the gravest of sins.
If, however, the marriage contract is first concluded in a valid sharʿī manner and then registered civilly, it is sound and fully valid. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the Sharia basis of the Udhiyah?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
The Sharia basis of the Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) is firmly established through the Quran, the Sunnah, and the Consensus (Ijma') of the Muslims:
1. Evidence from the Holy Quran
Allah the Exalted says {what means}: "And the camels and cattle We have appointed for you as among the symbols of Allah; for you therein is good." [Al-Hajj/36]. He also says {what means}: "So pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him alone]" [Al-Kawthar/2]. According to the most well-known scholarly interpretations of this verse, "prayer" refers to the Eid prayer, and "sacrifice" refers to the slaughtering of the Udhiyah.
2. Evidence from the Sunnah
Al-Bara' bin 'Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: "The first thing we start with on this day of ours is to pray, then we return and sacrifice. Whoever does that has followed our Sunnah, and whoever slaughters before [the prayer], it is merely meat he has provided for his family; it is not part of the ritual sacrifice in any way" [Reported by Bukhari & Muslim].
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "The Prophet ﷺ sacrificed two white rams with horns. He slaughtered them with his own hand, mentioned the name of Allah (Tasmiyah), and said the Takbir" [Reported by Bukhari & Muslim].
3. Evidence from Scholarly Consensus (Ijma')
The Muslims have reached a unanimous consensus on the Sharia basis of the Udhiyah, and no one among the scholars has disagreed with this. [Al-Sherbini, Mughni al-Muhtaj, Vol.6/P.122].And Allah the Exalted knows best.

Is a woman`s prayer considered invalid if non-Mahrams (marriageable men) saw her offering it?

A woman`s prayer isn`t invalidated if non-Mahrams saw her offering it, but she had better pray in isolation.