Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(136): “Ruling on Taking Stimulants in Sport"

Date Added : 27-10-2015

Resolution No.(136),(1/2010): “Ruling on Taking Stimulants in Sport"

Date: 25/3/1431 AH, corresponding to 11/3/2010 AD.

 

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 first session held on the above given date, the Board reviewed the question pertaining to the ruling of Sharia on taking stimulants in sport.

After thorough studying and deliberating, the Board arrived at the following:

The general provisions of Islamic Sharia demand preserving the five necessities: religion, life, property, the mind and progeny. Therefore, taking stimulants by athletes is forbidden for the following evidences:

First: The most elevated motto in sport is straightening the body, warding off harm from it and showing its points of strength and energy. It is permissible to practice sport for recreational purposes so long as it is done within the limits prescribed in Sharia. It has been proven that the Prophet (PBUH) raced his wife Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her), wrestled with a disbeliever called Rukanah, rode horses and camels…etc.

Second: Upon considering the benefits and repercussions of taking these stimulants, we realize that they are absolutely of no use to the person taking them, as they lead to damaging his body and mind. In principle, one`s body should be strong and energetic, but once stimulants enter it they turn benefit into harm; therefore, using them contradicts with the general rules of Islamic Sharia which stipulate warding off harm.

Third: One of the rules of Sharia states that whatever is proven harmful to be forbidden as a result, and this applies to these stimulants. Provisions from the Quran and the Sunnah have clearly forbidden some substances that inflict harm on the body, the religion and the society, such as wine. Other substances were forbidden on basis of the negative repercussions resulting from taking them.

Fourth: Stimulants in sport represent an act of aggression against the divine natural disposition upon which Allah has created man; they harm his health and change the nature of his body. Allah, The Almighty, Says (What means): “I will mislead them, and I will create in them false desires; I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and to deface the (fair) nature created by God.” {An-Nisa`/119}. Changing Allah`s Creation includes every act that leads to changing man`s image.

Fifth: Taking stimulants in sport leads to many chronic, incurable and fatal diseases, and Allah, The Almighty, Has Forbidden that a person kills himself. Whereas, He Says (what means): “O ye who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities: But let there be amongst you Traffic and trade by mutual good-will: Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily God hath been to you Most Merciful.” {At-Tawbah/119}. Also, the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Whoever cheats, he is not one of us." {Muslim}.

Sixth: Taking simulants give the athletes who uses this kind of drugs a fake appearance and to be in shape while he is not and this is considered turning lies to facts. Since, in this regard, Allah, The Exalted Ordered us to avoid lying and deceit whereas He Said (What means): "O ye who believe! Be careful of your duty to Allah, and be with the truthful." [At-Tawbeh/119], as well as, The Prophet (PBUH) said (What means): "And he who treats us dishonestly does not belong to us.” [Related by Moslim].

Seventh: This ruling is in conformity with the international laws and regulations, which ban using such stimulants. And Allah, The Almighty Knows Best.

 

Chairperson of the Iftaa` Board, Grand Mufti of Jordan, Dr. Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh

Vice Chairman of the Iftaa` Board,

                                                          Dr. Ahmad Hilayel

                                                          Dr. Yahia al-Botoosh/ Member

                                                          Sheikh Sa`eid Hijjawi/ Member

          Dr. Mohammad Khair al-Eesa/ Member

                                                          Judge Sari Atieh/ Member

 Dr. Abdurahamn Ibbdah/ Member

                                                          Dr. Mohammad Okla/ Member

     Dr. Abdunnasir Abulbasal/ Member

           Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh/ Member

           Dr. Mohammad al-Gharaibeh/ Member

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What are the conditions for the validity of the slaughtering process according to Sharia?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Regarding the Sharia-mandated conditions for the validity of the slaughtering process (Adh-Dhabh), they are as follows:
 
The Identity of the Slaughterer: The person performing the slaughter must be either a Muslim or from the People of the Book (Christian or Jewish).
 
The Required Cuts: Both the trachea (windpipe/breathing passage) and the esophagus (food passage) must be completely severed.
 
Stability of Life: The animal must possess stable life at the start of the slaughtering process. This is identified by clear signs, such as vigorous movement or the forceful gushing of blood after the throat and esophagus are cut.
 
The Tool of Slaughter: The tool used must be sharp, capable of cutting or piercing by its edge and not by its sheer weight or blunt force.
 
And Allah the Almighty knows best.

If a person enters a mosque and finds the congregation in the final tashahhud, which is more virtuous — joining them or waiting for a second congregation to catch the opening takbīr (takbīrat al-iḥrām)?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
If a worshipper finds a congregation that is about to finish its prayer, and he hopes to catch the entire prayer from the beginning with another congregation, it is more virtuous for him to pray with this first congregation and then repeat the prayer with the second one — provided he does not intend to confine himself to a single prayer. If, however, he intends to perform only one prayer, then it is more virtuous for him to wait for the second congregation rather than joining the first, so that he may attain the reward of congregational prayer for every single rakʿah.
Al-Khaṭīb al-Sharbīnī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "If members of a congregation enter the mosque while the imam is in the final tashahhud, al-Qāḍī Ḥusayn held that it is recommended for them to join him in prayer, and that they should not delay in order to form a second congregation. Al-Mutawallī, however, affirmed the opposite view, and al-Qāḍī's own statement elsewhere supports this latter position, which is the relied-upon view. In fact, it is more virtuous for a person who has missed part of the prayer with one congregation, and who hopes to catch another congregation with whom he can attain the entire prayer within its proper time, to delay so that he may catch it in full with them. This applies when he intends to confine himself to a single prayer; otherwise, it is more virtuous for him to pray with the first group and then repeat the prayer with the others." [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj,Vol. 3/P.186] And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What are the conditions that must be met for the 'aqīqah to be valid?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
The 'aqīqah is like the recommended uḍḥiyyah in terms of the type of animal, its age, and its required characteristics — since it is a recommended slaughter and therefore resembles the uḍḥiyyah in its rulings.
It is agreed upon without any difference of opinion that the 'aqīqah is not valid with any animal other than livestock (al-na'am — camels, cattle, and sheep). Likewise, an animal with a disqualifying defect — such as obvious illness, lameness, or blindness in one eye — does not suffice, as has previously been explained in the rulings of the uḍḥiyyah. 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.