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Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(193): "Ruling on Using the Zakah Money for the Treatment of the Poor at Al-Maqasid Alkhairiah Hospital"

Date Added : 22-11-2015

Resolution No.(193)(1/2014) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Using the Zakah Money for the Treatment of the Poor at Al-Maqasid Alkhairiah Hospital"

Date: 7/Rabee` Al-Awwal/1435 AH, corresponding to 9/1/2014 AD.

 

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds; and may His peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

In its first session held on the above given date, the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies reviewed the letter of His Excellency-The Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and Holy Places, which reads as follows: Your Grace  knows that the Zakah Committee of Hai Nazal and Ad-dra` Al-Gharbi Area (East of Amman) functions under the umbrella of the Zakah Fund, and it has established a big charity-oriented project, which is “Al-Maqasid Al-Khairiah Hospital.“ It consists of seven floors built on a ten-thousand cubic meter lot of land, it takes a hundred and eleven beds, its cost  exceeds four million JDs, it has modern medical equipments, and a qualified staff have been hired to make it fully operational. The hospital offers its services to the public at minimum cost. However, the same service is provided to the poor after conducting field studies supervised by the Zakah Fund Committee which, in its turn, determines the exemptions and discounts to be offered to members of that class.

The Administrative Board of the Zakah Fund  has approved to give three thousand JDs to this hospital,  provided that the money is used to cover the treatment of the poor patients specified by the Fund, and that the whole matter be referred to the Iftaa` Board to clarify the Sharia ruling concerning it.

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

Treating poor patients isn’t only a recommended act of charity but also a responsibility that must be shouldered by organizations and communities because failing to do so negates the principles of Islamic Sharia and humanity. The Prophet (PBUH) said in this regard: “The believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever". {Bukhari&Muslim}.

Since poverty and need are among the key channels of Zakah disbursement, as prescribed in the Holy Quran and according to the consensus of the Muslim scholars, the Board views that there is no harm in dedicating a sum of the Zakah money to cover the treatment expenses of the poor, or the needy so long as honesty in spending and justice in distribution are observed. In this case, the administration of the Zakah Fund functions as a proxy in transferring the Zakah into the possession of the poor; therefore, there is no harm if the Zakah takes the form of treatment since the Shafi`e School of Jurisprudence  and other scholars allowed the Zakah proxy: “to buy a medication to the poor” instead of giving him/her the money {Moghni Al-Mohtajj, vol.4/pp.186}. This way, the objective of Sharia is met, and the needs of the poor are attended to. This is because treatment is one of the most essential needs that should be met sufficiently. 

We advise the givers of Zakah to support this hospital, and we advise those in charge of it to Fear Allah and observe kindness as far as management and service are concerned, and to seek the reward from Allah Alone. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Chairman of the Iftaa` Board: The Mufti General of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

 His Grace Sheikh Abdulkareem Al-Khassawwneh

Vice-Chairmanof the Iftaa` Board: Prof. Ahmad Hilayel

Prof. Hayel Abdulhafeez/ Member

Prof. Abdulnasser Abu Al-Bassal

His Eminence Sheikh Sa`eed Hijjawi/ Member

Dr. Yahia Al-Bottoosh/Member

Prof. Mohammad Al-Qudah/Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh/Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Z`oubee/Member

Dr. Wassif Al-Bakhri/Member

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is Zakah (obligatory charity) due on land intended for selling?

Yes, lands intended for trade are valued, and Zakah is paid according to their estimated value after a lunar year had lapsed, but if the owner didn`t pay the due Zakah, then he should do so after selling them.

What are the conditions governing the portion that must be distributed to the poor from a voluntary uḍḥiyyah (sacrificial offering)?

 
 
 
 
 
 

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
The following conditions apply to the portion distributed to the poor from the sacrificial animal:
First: It must be meat — it isn`t valid to give the poor organs or offal such as the liver.
Second: It must be given raw — cooked meat does not fulfil the requirement.
Third: It must amount to no less than half a kilogram. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on entering the toilet with something containing the remembrance of Allah?

It is disliked to bring into the toilet anything containing a reminder of Allah, such as the Quran or a sacred name (like the name of Allah, Muhammad, etc.). If one does that, etiquette dictates that he conceal it so it is not visible while entering the toilet, either by cupping his hands over it, putting it in his pocket, or inside his shirt if it is a necklace or ring. And Allah  the Almighty knows best.

Is it acceptable to perform the Aqiqah for a male child by slaughtering and distributing the first sheep, and bringing the second one cooked from the restaurant?

 

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.

It is permissible to slaughter the first sheep with the intention of Aqiqah (the newborn's sacrificial offering) and distribute it entirely [uncooked], and to slaughter the second sheep and have it cooked at a restaurant to bring home for the household. However, it must be noted that it is obligatory to give some portion of the Aqiqah in charity to the poor, even if it is a small amount, though it is preferable to send the food cooked to them.

Buying a pre-cooked, ready-made sheep from a restaurant does not suffice as an Aqiqah. However, if an agreement is made with the restaurant to explicitly slaughter a sheep with the intention of Aqiqah for the newborn, and then cook it afterward, this is permissible.

In conclusion, slaughtering the sheep and distributing it with the intention of Aqiqah is permissible, and through it, the foundational prophetic tradition (Sunnah) is fulfilled. As for simply buying a cooked sheep from a restaurant that was not specifically slaughtered with the intention of Aqiqah, it will not count as such. Conversely, if the restaurant owner is commissioned (Wakala) to handle both the slaughtering and the cooking as an Aqiqah, it is valid. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

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