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

 

Decision Number [ Previous | Next ]


Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on the prayer of the individual following the imam whose prayer is broadcasted via television?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Among the conditions for the validity of following an Imam (Sihhat al-Iqtida’) is that the Imam and the follower (Ma’mum) must be in the same location. Therefore, the prayer of one who follows an Imam whose prayer is being broadcast via television from a distant location is not valid. However, if the follower is with the Imam in the same mosque, the prayer is valid. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on a fictitious marriage for the purpose of obtaining citizenship?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
There is no such thing in our noble sharīʿah as a "nominal" or "fictitious" marriage or divorce. Marriage and divorce are among the sacred ordinances of Allah, and it is not permissible to manipulate them or use them as a stratagem to obtain worldly gains.
The foundational purpose of a marriage contract is the permanence and continuity of the relationship between the spouses — to establish a family, and to bring forth righteous offspring. So sacred is this bond that Allah the Almighty Himself described it as a solemn covenant (mīthāq ghalīẓ), saying {what means}: "And if you wish to replace one wife with another and you have given one of them a great amount of wealth, do not take any of it back. Would you take it in injustice and manifest sin? And how could you take it while you have gone in unto each other and they have taken from you a solemn covenant?" [Al-Nisāʾ/ 20–21]
Accordingly, it is not permissible to resort to manipulation and deception in contracts that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has described as a "solemn covenant" — all for the sake of material and worldly benefit. Marriage is built upon permanence and does not admit of a fixed time limit. If a time limit is stipulated in the contract, the contract is rendered invalid by the consensus of the jurists. Similarly, marriage is impermissible when there exists a mutual, concealed intention to limit its duration — even if no time limit is explicitly mentioned in the contract — for this constitutes a form of unlawful circumvention of the sharīʿah. This is to say nothing of the lying and deception that such conduct involves, the prohibition of which needs no elaboration. Lying, deception, and fraud for the purpose of obtaining worldly gains are among the gravest of sins.
If, however, the marriage contract is first concluded in a valid sharʿī manner and then registered civilly, it is sound and fully valid. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is required of a traveler or a sick person if they broke their fast and then their excuse ceased?

If a traveler settles or a sick person recovers after having broken their fast, it is recommended for them to refrain from eating and drinking for the rest of the day, but it is not obligatory.

Is the Saying "Whatever is Taken by the Sword of Shyness is Forbidden" an Authentic Ḥadīth?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The saying "Whatever is taken by the sword of shyness is forbidden" is not an authentic ḥadīth, though its underlying meaning is sound. The established sharʿī principle is that a Muslim's wealth is not lawful for anyone to take except with his wholehearted consent, as Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly, but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent." [Al-Nisā/ 29] And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Listen to me and you will live well: do not wrong others, do not wrong others, do not wrong others. Indeed, a man's wealth is not lawful except with his full, willing consent." (Reported by Aḥmad in his Musnad.) Whatever is taken through the pressure of shyness or social embarrassment runs directly counter to genuine, wholehearted consent.
The jurists have explicitly stated that whatever is taken by means of the "sword of shyness" carries the same ruling as that which is taken by coercion — it must be returned to its rightful owner.
Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states in al-Fatāwā al-Kubrā (Vol.3/P.30): "Do you not see the reported scholarly consensus that whoever has something taken from him purely out of shyness, without his genuine consent, does not pass ownership of it to the one who took it? They reasoned that this constitutes a form of coercion through the 'sword of shyness,' comparable to coercion at the point of an actual sword. Indeed, many people would rather submit to the literal sword and endure the pain of its wound than submit to this first kind of coercion, out of fear for their dignity and standing — which people of sound judgment hold dear and guard most fiercely." And Allah the Almighty knows best.