Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(205): "Ruling on Prohibiting the Offence Against Forest Trees"

Date Added : 27-10-2015

 

Resolution  No.(205) (15/2014) by The Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Prohibiting the Offence Against Forest Trees"

Date: (16/Zolqhidah/1435  A.H); corresponding to (11/9/2014  A.D)

 

All praise is due to Allah. May His blessings and peace be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon his family and companions.

The Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies reviewed, in its eleventh session held on Thursday: (16/Zolqhidah/1435 A.H); (11/9/2014 A.D), the question sent by the chairperson of the Jordanian Society for Eco Tourism and reads as follows: 

We would like to inform you that forest areas in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan are severely endangered by some citizens and influential persons through cutting and burning  in order to sell their wood to citizens, and this has done a great damage to these areas. We kindly ask your Grace to discuss this issue with the Board of Iftaa` in order to issue a ruling on cutting down state-owned forest trees and selling them for personal profit.

After careful study and deliberation, the Board decided:

 

Trees are a vital aspect of life and a reason of survival on this earth. Allah, The Exalted, has made them  a mercy, a blessing, a greenery, a favor that He has bestowed on humanity. He Said in this regard (What means): “It is He who sends down rain from the sky: from it ye drink, and out of it (grows) the vegetation on which ye feed your cattle. With it He produces for you corn, olives, date-palms, grapes and every kind of fruit: verily in this is a sign for those who give thought.” {An-Nahl(10-11)}.

The Holy Quran contains frequent reminder of this blessing so as to draw man`s attention to its significance in order for him to thank Allah, The Exalted, on the one hand and to protect it as well as look after it on the other hand. Allah Says (What means): “Glory to God, Who created in pairs all things that the earth produces, as well as their own (human) kind and (other) things of which they have no knowledge.” {Ya-Sin/36}.

Therefore, a person thankful of this blessing wouldn`t endanger, or desecrate it because he knows deep down that if matters get out of hand, no tree will be left on the face of the earth due to the greed of those who seek to make profit at the expense of life on this earth and Allah`s creatures on it. Therefore, the necessary measures had to be taken to protect this blessing.

 

We should always remember that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) urged us to populate the earth by saying: “There is none amongst the Muslims who plants a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, or a person or an animal eats from it, but is regarded as a charitable gift for him.” {Bukhri &Muslim}. He also said: “If the Day of Resurrection starts while one of you is holding a cutting, then he should plant it.” {Ahmad}.

We should remember that any offence against trees by cutting, breaking, or burning is a violation of public property, and this is included in the warning of Abdullah Bin Habashi (May Allah be pleased with him) who reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Whoever cuts down a lote tree, Allah shall send him to Hell head first.” {Abu Dawood}. And Allah Knows Best.

 

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

Vice Head 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. Yahia Al-Botoosh/ Member

     Dr. Wasif Al-Bakhri

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Summarized Fatawaa

When is it Sunnah to slaughter the 'aqīqah?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is Sunnah for the 'aqīqah to be slaughtered on the seventh day from the birth of the newborn. According to the sounder position, the day of birth itself is counted as the first of the seven days. Thus, for example, if the child is born on a Saturday, the 'aqīqah is to be slaughtered on the following Friday. If the child is born at night, the count begins from the day that follows. And Allah Almighty knows best.

Does sacrificing one sheep avail for the entire household?

In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Offering an Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) is a communal Sunnah (Sunnah Kifayah) for members of the same household, provided that their financial maintenance is undertaken by a single provider. By "communal Sunnah," we mean that when one person performs it, the religious recommendation is fulfilled on behalf of the entire household, though the spiritual reward itself belongs uniquely to the one who offered it.
 
Therefore, if any member of the household performs the sacrifice—even if it is someone who is not legally responsible for the household's expenses, such as the wife or one of the children—the recommendation is fulfilled for everyone in that home. However, the reward does not automatically extend to the other members unless the person offering the sacrifice explicitly intends to share the reward with them—similar to how performing a funeral prayer (Janazah) fulfills the communal obligation for everyone, yet the specific reward is earned by those who actually prayed.
 
Additionally, a single sacrifice is sufficient for a man who is married to more than one wife. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

How is the niṣāb (minimum threshold) of gold calculated when one owns gold of multiple different karats?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Zakāh is obligatory on cash and on gold designated for saving or for trade, provided the total reaches the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for Zakah), and a full ḥawl (lunar year) has elapsed over it. The niṣāb is (85) grams of 24-karat gold; for 21-karat gold, the niṣāb equals (97) grams; and for 18-karat gold, it equals (113) grams.
If one owns gold of multiple different karats, the person paying zakāh should calculate the monetary value of all the gold he owns, combining these values together to determine whether the total reaches the niṣāb. He then pays zakāh on this combined monetary value, once the total reaches the niṣāb. The relied-upon position is to calculate the zakāh based on the buying price [i.e., the price the gold merchant would pay the owner to purchase the gold from him] on the day the zakāh obligation is due. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Is "Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm" a verse (āyah) of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The basmalah ("Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm") is, without question, a verse (āyah) of the Noble Qur'an, and according to the Shāfi‘ī school, it constitutes a verse of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah itself. Al-Fātiḥah is a pillar of the prayer, and it consists of seven verses, of which the basmalah is one. The prayer is not valid without reciting it, nor if any of the Fātiḥah's verses, letters, or shaddahs (consonant doublings) are omitted or altered.
It is stated in Bushrā al-Karīm (Vol.1/p.202), from the books of the Shāfi‘ī school: "The basmalah is a complete verse of it [i.e., of al-Fātiḥah] in practice — and it suffices, for this to be established, that there be strong probability (ẓann), especially given that this has come very close to certainty (yaqīn), due to the consensus (ijmā‘) of the Companions on its inclusion in the muṣ-ḥaf [the written text of the Qur'an] in its script, despite their extreme diligence in excluding from it anything that did not genuinely belong to it — to the point that they even [carefully regulated] its diacritical dots and vowel markings." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.