Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(207): "Ruling on Testing Drugs on People for Money"

Date Added : 05-10-2015

Resolution  No.(207)( 17 /2014), by The Board of Iftaa', Researches and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Testing Drugs on People for Money"

Date 30/Zolqidah/1435AH, corresponding to 25/9/2014AD

 

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

The Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies reviewed, in its twelfth session held on Thursday(30/Zolqidah/1435 A.H)-(25/9/2014 A.D), the question submitted by one of the citizens and reads as follows: 

Some research and studies centers in Jordan produce certain medications which they experiment on some people in return for money, and before distributing them in the market. What is the ruling on cooperating with such centers for this purpose in return for money ?

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

Protecting one`s life is among the five necessities which the Islamic Sharia came to preserve, whether by prevention, or by cure as shown by the following verse: “Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily God hath been to you Most Merciful!.” {An-Nisa/29}.

Protecting life is considered in its totality according to the Sharia maxim: the general interest is given precedence over the private interest. Also, Al-Izz Bin Abdusalaam (May Allah bless his soul) said: “The general interest is tantamount to the private necessity. “

Accordingly, testing a medication on a human being-if the doctors thought it was most probably useful- is a permissible act, provided that the following conditions are met:

First: The research centers should take all the necessary precautions and carry out all the experiments which indicate that the medication is chemically sound and doesn`t cause clear damage to the healthy, or the unhealthy persons.

Second: The research and the experiments should be conducted by the authorized  centers which adhere to the most elevated standards of methodical academic research under the supervision of qualified experts.

Third: The research centers should adhere to the laws and regulations that govern their work in a bid to avert suspicion, negligence, and competition among the manufacturing companies at the expense of people`s health. We call on the legislative and supervisory institutions to monitor this sector and address any shortage, or weakness in the legislations from which the defect is most likely to happen.

If the aforesaid conditions were met, then there is no harm, by The Will of Allah, and it becomes permissible for the citizen to make a sacrifice by trying the medication, even for money. This is because, in the past, the Muslim jurists permitted taking medications although they didn`t undergo any experimentations and no precautions were taken before trying them on people. Thus, the questioner should know that it is permissible for an individual to cooperate with such centers if they meet the above conditions. And Allah Knows Best.

 

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

Prof. Ahmad Helayel/ Member

Dr. Hayel Abdolhafeez/ Member

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

Prof. Mohammad Al-Qodah/ Member

Dr. Wasif Al-Bakkri/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Zou`bi/ Member

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the amount of food to be given to a needy person for fidyah and kaffarah?

The amount of food to be given to a needy person is 600 grams of wheat or rice.
According to the Hanafi school, it is permissible to give the monetary equivalent instead, and this is the ruling issued by the General Iftaa` Department.

Is it permissible for a woman to give the ransom (Fidyah) for breaking her fast to her granddaughter (her son`s daughter)?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is permissible for a woman to give the ransom (Fidya) for breaking her fast in Ramadan to her granddaughter (her son’s daughter), provided that the girl is poor and her basic needs are not being met by the maintenance (Nafaqah) of those who are lislamically obligated to provide for her. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

What is the ruling on eating and drinking at night after making the intention? Is it necessary to renew the intention?

Eating and drinking at night, even after making the intention (for the next day), does not affect the fast, and it is not necessary to renew the intention after eating and drinking.

What is the ruling on swearing an oath by the Prophet ﷺ, and does such an oath take effect according to Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, requiring expiation upon its breach?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Swearing an oath by a created being is disliked (makrūh) in our Shāfiʿī school. Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Swearing by a created being is disliked — such as swearing by the Prophet, the Kaʿbah, Jibrīl, the Companions, or the Prophet's family. Al-Shāfiʿī, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: 'I fear that swearing by other than Allah the Almighty may constitute an act of disobedience.' The scholars of the school explained this to mean: that is, something forbidden and sinful — indicating that he had some hesitation in the matter. Al-Imām stated: the established position of the school is that it is categorically not forbidden, but rather disliked. Furthermore, whoever swears by a created being, his oath does not take effect and no expiation (kaffārah) is required if he breaks it." [Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn wa ʿUmdat al-Muftīn, Vol. 11/P.6]
According to the Ḥanbalī school, however, expiation becomes obligatory upon one who swears by our master the Prophet ﷺ and then breaks his oath. Imām al-Bahūtī al-Ḥanbalī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "No expiation is required for swearing by other than Allah the Almighty, even if the oath is broken — because expiation was made obligatory for swearing by Allah and His attributes, out of reverence for His names, and nothing else is equal to Him in this regard... except in the case of swearing by our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, for expiation becomes obligatory when one swears by him and then breaks the oath. This was explicitly stated in the narration of Abū Ṭālib, because he is one of the two conditions of the two testimonies of faith by which a disbeliever becomes a Muslim. Ibn ʿAqīl held the view that swearing by any of the other prophets, peace and blessings be upon them all, carries the same ruling." [Sharḥ Muntahā al-Irādāt, Vol. 3/P.441]. And Allah the Almighty knows best.