Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(174): "Ruling on Salaries Obtained from Working for a non-Islamic Bank"

Date Added : 27-10-2015

Resolution  No.(174) (6/2012) by The Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Salaries Obtained from Working for a non-Islamic Bank"

Date: (14/7/1433 A.H); (4/6/2012 A.D)

 

All perfect praise be to Allah. Blessings and peace be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon his family and companions.

On the above date, the Board reviewed the following question:

A person had spent (28) years working for a usurious bank, then he repented to Almighty Allah. What should he do with the severance pay, the pension, the savings obtained from his work, and the assets that he had bought like the house; taking into consideration that he has no other source of income. Another person has spent three years working for the same bank, so what should he do-in case he wanted to repent-with his share from the social security and the Savings Fund, his savings from his salary, the assets that he had bought such as his car ?

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

The ruling on working for usurious banks is bound by the nature of the work itself, so if the employee`s job doesn`t involve  usurious interests, and assisting in that, then his work is permissible and there is no harm in doing it. Therefore, there is no harm in taking the severance pay and his salaries from the social security.

However, if his work involved usurious interests, and assisting in that, then his work isn`t permissible since Almighty Allah Says in the Noble Quran: “Help ye one another in righteousness and piety, but help ye not one another in sin and rancour: fear Allah. for Allah is strict in punishment.” {Al-Mai`da/2}. In Sahih Muslim (1598), Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) cursed the one who accepts Ar-Riba (the usury), the one who pays it, the one who records it, and the two persons who stand witness to it.He said: all of them are equally sinful.”

Therefore, the salaries and the nonwage awards that he had obtained out of that job are ill-gotten money which he isn`t permitted to take, rather, he should seek repentance from Allah, show remorse, ask for forgiveness, and show determination not make use of that money. As regards the rest of the money, he should give it to charity.

However, there is no harm in keeping the assets that he needs for himself and for his family such as the house and the car. He can also keep the money that he needs to support his family since Al-Imam Al-Ghazali (May Allah bless his soul )said: “He may give this money as a charity to himself and to his family in case they were poor, rather, they are more entitled to it than anyone else. He may also take as much as he needs because he is poor as well.” {Ihya`a Oloum Ad-deen}.

As regards the salaries obtained from the social security, there is no harm in taking them since the Board of Iftaa` had issued resolution No.(133) which permits subscribing to the social security based on the fact that “The Social Security Fund is  part of the public treasury.”

If the money that he paid as a donation to that Fund was ill-gotten, it doesn`t render the pension that the Fund pays him (the subscriber) illegitimate since the social security contract isn`t a compensation contract so that it could be said that ill-gotten money is compensated with ill-gotten money, rather, it is a bare contract intended to achieve solidarity. It is incumbent on the person who subscribed in the Fund with ill-gotten money to repent from making such money, and so there is no harm in benefitting from the pension deducted for him after that; particularly in case he was ignorant that his work in the bank was unlawful. And Allah Knows Best.

 

 

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

Vice-Chairman of the Iftaa` Board, Prof. Ahmad Helayel

Prof. Abduln`nassir Abu Al Bass`al/ Member

His Eminence, Sheikh Sa`ied Hijjawi/ Member

Pro. Mohammad Al-Qhodat/ Member

     Dr. Wasif Al-Bakhri

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-Essa/ Member

Dr.Mohammad Al-Zou`bi/ Member

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

When is supplication (du‘a) more likely to be accepted: before or after breaking the fast in Ramadan?

Du‘a is accepted at all times, and this is part of Allah’s mercy and generosity toward His servants.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "No Muslim makes a supplication that does not involve sin or severing family ties except that Allah grants them one of three things: either He grants their supplication immediately, or He stores it for them in the Hereafter, or He averts from them an equivalent harm." [Narrated by Ahmad]
However, in Ramadan, du‘a is especially likely to be accepted shortly before breaking the fast.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Three supplications are never rejected: the supplication of a fasting person until they break their fast, the supplication of a just leader, and the supplication of an oppressed person. Allah raises it above the clouds, opens the gates of heaven for it, and says: ‘By My might, I will surely grant you victory, even if after a while.’" [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi]

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.

Zakah due on a woman`s jewelry?

Obligatory Zakah (obligatory charity) isn`t due on a woman`s jewelry used for adornment, provided that the value of each piece is within the range amongst common market price. And Allah Knows Best.

What are the Sunnahs and etiquettes recommended for the person offering the Udhiyah?

 
In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
There are several Sunnahs (prophetic traditions) and etiquettes that are highly recommended for the person offering an Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) to observe:
 
First:
It is a Sunnah for anyone intending to offer a sacrifice to refrain from cutting or removing any of their hair or nails once the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah begin. This is based on the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "When the ten days [of Dhul-Hijjah] begin and one of you intends to offer a sacrifice, let him not touch any of his hair or skin." (Narrated by Muslim)
 
However, if someone does happen to remove any hair or nails, they have not committed a sin, and their sacrifice remains perfectly valid.
 
Second:
The person offering the sacrifice should ideally slaughter the animal themselves. If they are unable to do so, they should at least witness its slaughter. This is drawn from what our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), said to Lady Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her):
 
"Stand up and witness your sacrifice, for with its very first drop of blood, every sin you have committed will be forgiven." (Narrated by Al-Tabarani in his Mu'jam, Al-Hakim in his Mustadrak, and Al-Bayhaqi in his Sunan)
 
Third:
Face the Qiblah (the direction of prayer) at the time of slaughtering, as the Qiblah is the most honorable of directions.
 
Fourth:
Pronounce the name of Allah (Tasmiyah) at the moment of slaughter by saying: "Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim" (In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful). Even if one forgets to say it, the meat remains lawful (Halal) to eat. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, says:
 
"So eat of that [meat] upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned." (Al-An'am: 118)
 
It is also recommended to send blessings upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and to follow it with the Takbeer (Allahu Akbar).
 
Fifth:
Supplicate for acceptance by saying: "Allahumma hadhihi minka wa ilayka, fa-taqabbal minni" (O Allah, this is a blessing from You and is offered back to You, so please accept it from me). This means: This sacrifice is a blessing that originated from You, and I am offering it to draw closer to You. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.