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Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(129): “Re-evaluation of the Amount of Diyah”

Date Added : 27-10-2015

 

Resolution No.(129),(7/2009): “Re-evaluation of the Amount of Diya”

Date: 1/8/1430 AH, corresponding to 23/7/2009 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 third session held on the above date, the Board of Iftaa reviewed the amount of Diya in light of the change in the value of camels in Jordanian currency, because twenty-one years passed over the last evaluation, which took place on 9/11/1408 AH, corresponding to 23/6/1988 AD.

 

After thorough studying and deliberating, the Board decided what follows:

 

First: In principle, the Diya is a hundred camels whose ages vary in accordance with the type of killing: premeditated murder, quasi-intentional murder, or accidental killing. In accidental killing, the Diya is a hundred camels: Thirty Bint Makkah, thirty Bint Labun, thirty Hiqqah and ten Bin Labun. This Diya is softened from three aspects: it is due on the killer`s Aqila (Male relatives of the killer from his father`s side), it is divided over three years, and the ages of the camels. In premeditated murder and quasi-intentional murder, the amount of the Diya is a hundred camels: thirty Hiqqah, thirty Bint Labun, and Khilfah. On the other hand, the Diya in quasi-intentional murder is softened from two aspects: it is due on the killer`s Aqila and divided over three years; whereas, it is more dense from one aspect, and that is the ages of the camels.

The Diya in premeditated murder is more dense from three aspects: due immediately, due from the killer`s wealth, and the ages of the camels.

The evaluation of Diya in a form other than camels relied on the value of camels. It was narrated from 'Amr bin Shu'aib, from his father, from his grandfather, that the Messenger of Allah said: "Whoever is killed by mistake, his ransom is one hundred camels: Thirty Bint Makkah, thirty Bint Labun, thirty Hiqqah and ten Bin Labun. "[1] The Messenger of Allah used to fix the value (of the Diya for accidental killing) among town-dwellers at four hundred Dinars or the equivalent value in silver. When he calculated the price in terms of people with camels (for Bedouin), it would vary from one time to another. When prices rose, the value in Dinars would rise, and when prices fell the value in Dinars would fall. At the time of the Messenger of Allah, the value was between four hundred and eight hundred Dinars, or the equivalent value in silver, eight thousand Dirhams. And the Messenger of Allah ruled that if a person's blood money was paid in cattle, among those who kept cattle, the amount was two hundred cows; and if a person's blood money was paid in sheep, among this who kept sheep, the value was two thousand sheep. The Messenger of Allah ruled that the blood money is part of the estate, to be divided among the heirs of the victim according to their allotted shares, and whatever is left over is for the 'Asabah. And the Messenger of Allah ruled that if a woman commits murder then he 'Asahah, whoever they may be, must pay the blood money, but they do not inherit anything except that which is left over from her heirs; if a woman is killed then her blood money is to be shared among her heirs, and they may kill her killer.” [Sunn Abu Dawood], [Sunn Al-Nisa'ee].

Second: As camels aren`t the common property of the people of Jordan, the Board believes that their prices should be estimated in Jordanian currency in order to facilitate for the people to pay the Diyah. The prices of camels can be obtained from the neighboring Islamic countries where camels are common.

Third: The Grand Mufti of Jordan has sent a message to the Chairman of the Islamic Fiqh Academy in Sudan inquiring about the prices of camels there. The latter has formed a committee to that end and informed the Grand Mufti about their prices. It was made clear to us that a hundred camels in addition to the transport fair equal twenty thousand Jordanian Dinars as regards the Diya in accidental killing, and twenty five thousand Jordanian Dinars for that in premeditated and Quasi-intentional killings. Therefore, the Board holds the view that the Diya of whoever is killed by mistake is twenty thousand Jordanian Dinars and twenty five thousand for whoever is killed intentionally or Quasi-intentionally.

Fourth: The Board stresses that the Diya in accidental and quasi-intentional killings is due on the killer`s Aqila; whereas, in premeditated murder it is due from the killer`s wealth.

Fifth: The Board stresses that it is impermissible for the family of the killed to demand both Qisas (Retaliation) and Diya. If Qisas was executed in case of premeditated murder, then no Diya is due on the killer.

Sixth: Recipients of the Diyah may waive their right to take it since Almighty Allah Has Urged Muslims to be forgiving. Whereas, He Says (What means): “And the remission (of the man’s half) is the nearest to righteousness.“ {Al-Baqara/237}. However, none may waive the right of minors in the Diya and such an act isn`t considered lawful.

Seventh: The Diya becomes part of the killed person`s estate and so it should be divided in accordance with the rulings of Sharia on inheritance. And Allah Knows Best.

 

The Grand Mufti of Jordan

                   Chairman of the Iftaa` Board,  Dr. Nooh al-Qhodat

                      Vice Chairman of the Iftaa` Board,Dr. Ahmad Hilayel

                                   Sheikh Abdulkareem al-Khasawneh/ Member

         Sheikh Sa`eid Hijjawi/ Member

                        Dr. Muhammad Khair Al-'Eisa/Member

Judge Sari Attia/Member

              Dr. Abdul-Rahman Ibdah/Member

                           Dr. Muhammad Aiqla Al-Ibrahim/Member

                     Dr. Abdul Naser Abu Al-Basal/Member

                                               Executive Secretary of the Iftaa' Board Dr. Muhammad Al-Khalyla 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling of Islamic Law regarding one who slaughters a ewe and it turns out to have been pregnant, and is it permissible to slaughter the ewe if one knows it is pregnant?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
If a person slaughters a ewe and it turns out to have been pregnant, the fetus becomes lawful (ḥalāl) by virtue of its mother's slaughter (tabaʿan li-ummihā).
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.6/P.158): "A fetus found dead [after the mother's slaughter], or found alive but in a state resembling that of a slaughtered animal [i.e., dying shortly after], becomes lawful — whether or not it had grown fur — provided it is found in the womb of a mother that was lawfully slaughtered, whether her slaughter was by cutting the throat, or by an arrow or hunting dog sent after her. This is based on the ḥadīth: 'The slaughtering of the fetus is [effected by] the slaughtering of its mother' [narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who graded it ḥasan, and by Ibn Ḥibbān, who graded it ṣaḥīḥ] — meaning that the slaughter which rendered the mother lawful renders the fetus lawful as well, by virtue of following her; and because the fetus is one of her constituent parts, and her slaughter renders lawful all of her parts."
This ruling differs, however, from the case of one who knows from the outset that the ewe is pregnant [and intends to sacrifice her specifically as the udḥiyah while pregnant] — in which case, according to the Shāfi'ī school, she does not fulfill the requirement of a valid sacrifice.
It is stated in Ḥāshiyat al-Bujayrimī 'alā al-Khaṭīb (Vol.4/P.335): "A pregnant animal does not fulfill the requirement [of a valid sacrifice], and this is the authoritative position (al-mu'tamad), because pregnancy diminishes the quality of the meat. As for why such an animal is nevertheless counted as complete [i.e., fully valid] in matters of zakāh, that is because the intent there is reproduction (nasl), not the quality of the meat.". And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

What is the ruling on combining (jam‘) and shortening (qaṣr) prayers when travel is repeated on a daily basis?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
A traveler is permitted to avail himself of the concessions of shortening and combining prayers once the distance of his journey reaches (81 km) or more. This is on condition that his journey is a permissible one, and that he begins shortening and combining only after setting out and passing beyond the built-up limits of the city in which he resides, or beyond the administrative boundaries of the area where he lives.
Accordingly, if the distance between one's workplace and one's place of residence reaches the distance upon which the concession of combining and shortening depends, then combining and shortening are permissible once he leaves the built-up area, even if this travel is repeated on a daily basis.
Ash-Shirbīnī (raḥimahullāh) said: "It is permissible to combine Ẓuhr and ‘Aṣr, either as an early combination (taqdīm) in the time of the first, or as a delayed combination (ta'khīr) in the time of the second; and likewise Maghrib and ‘Ishā' — either early, in the time of the first, or delayed, in the time of the second — during a long, permissible journey, in following [the Prophet's practice]. As for the delayed combination, it is established in the two Ṣaḥīḥs from the ḥadīth of Anas and Ibn ‘Umar (raḍiyallāhu ‘anhum). As for the early combination, Ibn Ḥibbān and al-Bayhaqī graded it ṣaḥīḥ from the ḥadīth of Mu‘ādh, and at-Tirmidhī graded it ḥasan." [Quoted with slight abridgment from Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol.1/p.529]
The conditions for combining and shortening have already been explained in Fatwa No. 14 and Fatwa No. 842. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Is it permissible to sleep before the time of the Fajr prayer begins, with the intention of waking up shortly afterward?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is permissible for a Muslim to sleep before the time of the Fajr prayer begins, intending to wake up and perform the prayer, by setting an alarm or asking someone to wake him. What is to be avoided is that a person sleeps while he predominantly assumes that he will not wake up for the prayer.
If he does not wake up until the time of the prayer has ended, he must make it up. It is recommended that he hasten to make it up as soon as he wakes, and likewise recommended that he make up its sunnah along with it.
It is stated in al-Majmūʿ by Shaykh al-Islām Imam al-Nawawī (may Allah have mercy on him): “Whoever was obliged to pray and did not pray until the time passed must make it up, because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): ‘Whoever sleeps through a prayer or forgets it, let him pray it when he remembers it.’ It is recommended that he make it up immediately, because of the ḥadīth we have mentioned. If he delays it, that is permissible, because it is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) missed the Fajr prayer and did not pray it until he had left the valley. Had it been required immediately, he would not have delayed it. Abū Is-ḥāq said: If he left it without a valid Sharia excuse, he must make it up immediately, because he was negligent in delaying it.”
It is therefore the duty of every Muslim to keep the prayer in its proper time, seeking help from Allah the Exalted and striving against the self to do so. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on compensating the patient in case of medical error on the part of the treating physician?

 
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The foundational principle is that every mistake issued by a physician that causes harm to another due to his negligence or lack of expertise obligates him to guarantee liability and compensate the harmed party. The Sharia maxim, in this regard, states: "The direct actor is liable."
 
Ibn Qudamah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "As for if he was skilled but his hand committed an error—such as exceeding the proper limit of incision, cutting in an incorrect site, cutting with an instrument that inflicts excessive pain, or cutting at an unsuitable time—he is liable, because it is destruction (Itlaf) whose liability does not differ between intent and mistake, thus resembling the destruction of property; and because it is a prohibited act, so he guarantees liability for its secondary effects." [Al-Mughni].
 
However, if the physician performed what was necessary in the most complete manner and took all measures of care and caution, but complications occurred that could not be avoided according to specialists, then no liability rests upon him.
 
Shaykh al-Islam Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "The cupper and the circumciser bear no liability if they have not been negligent, and likewise the veterinarian if he bleeds an animal and it perishes." [Rawdat al-Talibin].
 
Al-Khattabi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I know of no disagreement that if the practitioner transgresses and the patient perishes, he is liable. Anyone who undertakes knowledge or practice he does not know is a transgressor; so if perishing arises from his action, he is liable for the blood-money (Diyah) while capital retaliation (Qisas) is dropped from him, because he did not act independently without the patient's permission. And the physician’s offense in the view of the generality of jurists is borne by his agnates ('Aqilah*)."* [Ma'alim al-Sunan].
 
If negligence or transgression is established against the physician, it is necessary to compensate the patient or seek forgiveness from him. And Allah Almighty knows best.

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