Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



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

What is the ruling on selling sacrificial animals (udhiyah) described with specific attributes and authorizing an agent to slaughter them?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Selling sacrificial animals (udhiyah) that are described with specific attributes is permissible. This falls under the category of a salam sale (forward sale) if conducted using the terminology of salam, and under the category of a regular sale if not using the terminology of salam.
 
As for authorizing the seller to slaughter the sacrificial animal, the basic principle is that it is permissible, because the agent (wakil) stands in the place of the principal (muwakkil) in achieving his objective. This is a contract that the principal (the buyer) is entitled to perform himself, so authorizing another (the seller) to do so on his behalf is valid.
 
However, it is a condition for authorization to slaughter that the intention (niyyah) is present either at the time of slaughter or at the time of handing over the sacrificial animal to the agent. The basic principle is that the sacrificial animal must be specifically designated, as it is an act of worship. It is not required to designate it at the time of slaughter; rather, it is valid to do so before that.
 
It is permissible for the principal either to delegate the intention to the agent or to formulate it himself when authorizing the agent to slaughter. However, the sacrificial animal must be designated, even if at the time of slaughter, by the agent.
 
It is obligatory to designate the sacrificial animals so that each person offering a sacrifice receives his own specific animal. Therefore, charitable organizations and companies must take this into consideration and establish a specific mechanism that ensures no mixing of sacrificial animals occurs, so that each person offering a sacrifice receives his own designated animal. And Allah Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible to slaughter a single sheep with the combined intention of both the uḍḥiyyah and the 'aqīqah?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
According to Shaykh al-Islām Imam Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, it is not permissible to combine the intention of the uḍḥiyyah and the 'aqīqah in a single animal, as each of the two has a distinct and separate cause that differs from the other.
However, Shaykh al-Islām Imam al-Ramlī permitted the combining of both intentions in a single animal — and this position offers a degree of latitude and ease. And Allah Almighty knows best.

 
What is the ruling on someone who eats or drinks while uncertain about the arrival of dawn, then later finds out that dawn had not yet broken?

If a person does this, their fast remains valid, as it is confirmed that they ate during the night. Similarly, if someone eats while uncertain and remains unsure whether they ate before or after dawn, their fast is still valid. This is based on the maxim of Sharia Law, which states: "Certainty is not removed by doubt." Certainty, here, is the presence of night, and the doubt concerns the arrival of dawn. Therefore, one relies on certainty and disregards doubt.

What is the ruling on the fasting of a woman who has reached menopause if menstrual blood flows?

If a woman reaches the age of menopause (which is usually sixty-two) and her menses have ceased, then she sees blood after that, and its duration is not less than a day and a night (24 hours), it is menstruation (hayd). If it is less than a day and a night, she is considered as having non-menstrual vaginal bleeding (mustahada), so she fasts and prays. However, she must perform ablution for every obligatory prayer after its time enters, pray immediately, and be treated as a person with a continuous condition. There is no specific end limit for a woman's menstruation; it is possible as long as the woman is alive. And Allah the Almighty knows best.