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Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(138): "Ruling of Sharia on Discount Cards"

Date Added : 27-10-2015

Resolution No.(138): "Ruling of Sharia on Discount Cards

Date: 23/4/1431 AH, corresponding to 8/4/2010 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 session held on the above given date, the Board reviewed the question concerning the ruling of Sharia on buying and using cards issued by some malls which sell them to customers against a nominal price. Whenever the customer purchases an item, points are recorded in his favor and when they reach a certain number; he receives a prize or a discount.

After thorough studying and deliberating, the Board decided the following:

There are different situations as far as these cards are concerned:

1- If they are given by the mall or the company to the customer for free in order for him to take part in prize drawing or to receive some discounts, then they are permissible. This way, they are tantamount to a promise, to cut down prices or grant prizes, made to the customer. A promise to grant a benefit is permissible provided that the mall or company doesn`t employ this as a trick to increase the prices of the products.

2- If they are paid for by the customer against an amount which is greater than the cost of processing and issuing them, or they are processed against paying an annual subscription, then this type of cards is definitely forbidden because it involves gambling. This way, the mall makes a profit out of selling them; whereas, the customer enters a gambling process, where he may win the discounts and the prizes, or nothing; because he didn`t have the needed number of points to be qualified for receiving  the benefits of these cards, or because he didn`t purchase from that particular mall. The probability that relies on chance is the forbidden gambling and called Gharar (risk and uncertainty) that Islamic Sharia has forbidden in commutative contracts.

3- If the cards are bought by the customer against a certain amount, which is only intended to cover the cost of processing and issuing them, without the mall making any profit, then this is suspicious and requires further examination. To be on the safe side, a Muslim should avoid such suspicious matters.

The above is the view adopted by the Islamic Fiqh Assembly of the Muslim World League No. (103)(2/18) and it reads: 

First: It isn`t permissible to issue or purchase the aforementioned discount cards against a fixed price or an annual subscription, because they involve Gharar; the purchaser pays money and doesn`t know what he will get in return i.e. definite loss against potential benefit. It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: "The Messenger of Allah forbade Gharar transaction and Hasah transactions." {Sahih Muslim}.

Second: If these cards are issued for free, then their issuance and acceptance are permissible, because they are tantamount to a donation or a grant. And Allah 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

                                      Dr. Ahmad Al-Hasanat/ Executive Secretary of the Iftaa Board

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on preparing food for someone who is not fasting in Ramadan?

It is forbidden to prepare food for someone who is breaking their fast without a valid excuse in Ramadan.
Doing so would be assisting in sin, and assisting in sin is itself a sin.
Allah says {what means}: "but help ye not one another in sin and rancour" [Al-Mai`dah/2]

What is the ruling on forgiving a tenant next month's rent, with the intention of counting it toward zakāh al-māl?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It does not fulfill the obligation to count the rent owed on a house, or a portion of it, in lieu of zakāh. Rather, it is necessary to first transfer ownership of the zakāh amount to the poor person directly; only afterward may he be asked to pay the rent [from that money].
It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik (p. 112): "If someone gives [money] to a poor person, stipulating that the recipient return it to him in payment of a debt owed to him, or says, 'I am making what you owe me into zakāh, so take it [as such]' — this is not valid. But if he gives it to him with the [unstated] intention that the recipient will use it to repay him, or says, 'Repay what you owe me, so that I may [then separately] give it to you as zakāh,' or the debtor himself says, 'Give it to me, so that I may [then] repay you with it' — this is valid, and there is no binding obligation for the recipient to actually fulfill this [informal understanding]."
We would also remind [the reader] of the ḥadīth of the Prophet ﷺ: "The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim: he does not wrong him, nor does he abandon him [to harm]. Whoever attends to the needs of his brother, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will attend to his needs. Whoever relieves a Muslim of a hardship, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will relieve him of one of the hardships of the Day of Resurrection. And whoever conceals [the faults of] a Muslim, Allah will conceal him on the Day of Resurrection." (Agreed upon). And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on the fasting of a woman who has reached menopause if menstrual blood flows?

If a woman reaches the age of menopause (which is usually sixty-two) and her menses have ceased, then she sees blood after that, and its duration is not less than a day and a night (24 hours), it is menstruation (hayd). If it is less than a day and a night, she is considered as having non-menstrual vaginal bleeding (mustahada), so she fasts and prays. However, she must perform ablution for every obligatory prayer after its time enters, pray immediately, and be treated as a person with a continuous condition. There is no specific end limit for a woman's menstruation; it is possible as long as the woman is alive. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on someone who combines two prayers as an early combination (jam‘ taqdīm), and then arrives at his place of residence during the time of the second prayer — is he obligated to repeat it?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Whoever combines Ẓuhr and ‘Aṣr while traveling — that is, before he has reached the built-up boundaries of his hometown [upon returning] — his combination (jam‘) of the two prayers remains valid, even if he arrives at his place of residence before the time for the second prayer has actually begun. This is because the combination was already validly completed with its proper conditions fulfilled, and he is not obligated to repeat the second prayer [upon arrival].
A traveler is permitted to make use of the concessions of shortening (qaṣr) and combining (jam‘) prayers once the distance of travel reaches (81 km) or more, provided that his journey is a permissible one, and that he begins shortening and combining only after actually setting out on the journey and passing beyond the built-up limits of the city in which he resides. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

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