Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(167): "Ruling on the Uncovered Credit Card at the Islamic Bank"

Date Added : 08-10-2015

Resolution No.(167) (8/2011) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on the Uncovered Credit Card at the Islamic Bank"

Date 26/8/1432AH, corresponding to 28/7/2011AD.

 

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
During its eleventh session held on the above given date, the Board reviewed the following question:
What is the ruling of Sharia when a client of the Islamic Bank requests issuing him a credit card in return for a charge (15-30) JDs, where he uses this card to purchase products while his balance is uncovered, so the bank debits them to his account until his salary arrives. Afterwards, the bank deducts the exact value of those products from the client`s salary. However, if he withdrew a certain cash amount from an ATM using that card-while his balance is uncovered- the bank deducts it from his salary in addition to 4% of that amount?
After prolonged deliberations, the Board decided:
Part one: The issuance charge (15-30) JDs charged by the bank on annual basis  against offering actual services to the client is permissible if it equals them. Also, if the client made a withdrawal from the bank by using this card while having a covered balance, then it is permissible for the bank to deduct a specific fee in return for that service.
Part two: Making a withdrawal through this card from ATM machine while the client`s balance is uncovered and the bank deducting it from his salary in addition to 4% from the withdrawn amount is unlawful. This is because in Sharia terms this transaction is classified as a loan and the Sharia maxim in this regard states that every loan which leads to a benefit is usurious. Consequently, every interest that results from this loan in favor of the bank is a forbidden usury. Allah, The Almighty, Says (What means): "Those who devour usury will not stand except as stand one whom the Evil one by his touch Hath driven to madness. That is because they say: "Trade is like usury," but God hath permitted trade and forbidden usury" {Al-Baqarah/275}. And Allah Knows Best.


Chairman of the Iftaa` Board, The Mufti General of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, His Grace Sheikh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh.
Vice Head of the Iftaa` Board, Dr. Ahmad Helayel
Dr. Yahia Al-Botoosh/ Member
His Eminence, Sheikh Sa`ied Hijjawi/ Member
Judge Sari Attieh/ Member
Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-Essa/ Member
Prof. Abduln`nassir Abu Al Bass`al/ Member
Dr. Mohammad Oklah Al-Ib`brahim
Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh/ Member
Dr. Mohammad Al-Gharaibeh/ Member
Dr.Abdulrahmann Ibbdah/ Member
Executive Secretary of the Iftaa` Board, Sheikh Mohammad Al-Hunaiti

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

How to pay Zakah (obligatory charity) due on articles of merchandise?

Articles of merchandise are estimated by their whole sale market price at the end of each lunar year, and (2.5%) of their value is paid as Zakah whether it (value) went up, or down compared to actual purchasing price, and whether the increase (profit) was in the article itself such as an increase in the animal`s weight, or in the prices themselves. And Allah Knows Best.

Some online stores offer a discount on a customer's first purchase — what is the ruling on creating a new account each time a customer makes a purchase in order to obtain that discount?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is obligatory upon a Muslim to uphold honesty in both his words and his actions. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "O you who have believed, do not betray Allah and the Messenger or betray your trusts while you know." [Al-Anfāl/ 27] And He says {what means}: "O you who have believed, fear Allah and be with the truthful." [Al-Tawbah/ 119]. And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Whoever deceives us is not of us." (Reported by al-Bukhārī.)
As for creating a new account for the same buyer, the terms and conditions of the website must be observed and respected. If doing so violates those terms, it is not permissible. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

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.

My brother works in a conventional bank and gave me one of the gifts distributed to bank employees — what is the ruling on accepting it?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
There is no objection to accepting such gifts, because the physical gift itself does not carry any inherent prohibition — unlike stolen property. Sin does not transfer or extend to the one who receives the gift, for Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "And no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another." [Al-Anʿām/164]
The evidence for this is that the Prophet ﷺ himself ate from the food of the Jews, conducted transactions with them, and purchased from them — and it is well known that their wealth was intermingled with ribā. Similarly, the wealth of conventional ribā-based banks is a mixture of the lawful and the unlawful.
Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "It is not forbidden to transact with one whose wealth is predominantly unlawful, nor to eat from it — as al-Nawawī affirmed in al-Majmūʿ." [Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj, Vol. 9/P.389] And Allah the Almighty knows best.