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 is the ruling on a mother giving the Zakat of her wealth to her children?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is permissible for a mother to give her children from the Zakat if they are among those who are eligible for it—such as being poor (Fuqara), possessing no wealth, and not being sufficiently provided for by the maintenance (Nafaqah) of others. This is based on the statement of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ regarding Zaynab, the wife of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with them both): (Your husband and your children are the most deserving of those upon whom you spend in charity) [Narrated by Al-Bukhari].
 
It is stated in [Al-Hawi al-Kabir, Vol. 8/P.537]: 'As for the wife, it is permissible for her to pay her Zakat to her husband from all the designated shares... Our evidence is the generality of the saying of Allah the Almighty: "Zakat expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy", and the Hadith of Abu Hurairah that the Prophet ﷺ said to Zaynab, the wife of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: (Your husband and your children are the most deserving of those upon whom you spend), and this is taken in its general sense.' And Allah the Exalted knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on eating or drinking during the circumambulation?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is disliked (makrūh) to eat or drink during the circumambulation (ṭawāf).
Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī states in al-Majmūʿ: "It is disliked to eat or drink during ṭawāf, and the dislikedness of drinking is lighter. Neither of them, nor both together, invalidates the ṭawāf. Al-Shāfiʿī said: 'There is no objection to drinking water during ṭawāf, and I do not consider it sinful; however, I prefer that it be avoided, as refraining from it is more befitting in terms of proper conduct.' Among those who explicitly stated the dislikedness of eating and drinking, and that drinking is the lesser of the two, is the author of al-Ḥāwī."
If, however, a person is in genuine need of drinking, then there is no dislikedness in doing so. In any case, the ṭawāf itself remains valid. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the monetary value for the expiation of an oath (Kaffarat al-Yamin)?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The expiation for an oath (Kaffarat al-Yamin) consists of feeding ten (10) needy persons. This is estimated at 600 grams of rice per person. It is also permissible to pay its value in cash, which is estimated at one dinar (per person). And Allah the Exalted knows best.

What is the ruling on giving Zakat al-Fitr in cash?

The default ruling is that Zakat al-Fitr should be given as the staple food of the land. In Jordan, for example, the staple food is wheat or rice, and the amount of Zakat al-Fitr is 2,500 grams per person. It is easy to give this amount of rice to the poor and needy, and this is the correct ruling according to all Islamic schools of thought.
However, Hanafi scholars have permitted giving Zakat al-Fitr as monetary value, considering it more beneficial for the poor and easier for the giver.