Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(46): "Forms of Dealing with Islamic Insurance Company"

Date Added : 02-11-2015

Resolution No.(46): "Forms of Dealing with Islamic Insurance Company"
Date: 2001 AD

The Board has received the following question: 

What is the ruling of Sharia on dealing with the Islamic Insurance Company?

Answer: All success is attributed to Allah.

Having reviewed the forms of transaction applied in the Islamic Insurance Company and its corporate charter, it became clear to the Board that these forms are based on the system of cooperative insurance, which is permissible in Sharia. However, the transaction of the above company is also based on reinsuring with private commercial reinsurance companies, which don`t adhere to the rules of Sharia. However, since Islamic insurance companies are obliged to reinsure with these companies to be able to operate in the insurance sector, then the situation will remain as such until Islamic reinsurance companies are established.

Consequently, reinsurance and, the case aforementioned, are considered a need tantamount to a necessity, and the Muslim scholars have stated that a need is that whose non-fulfillment leads to hardship, whether that need was public i.e. includes the whole nation or private i.e. includes a certain category such as the people of a country or a craft. Private here doesn`t refer to individual need. Therefore, it is permissible to deal with these reinsurance companies so long as there is a need for that, and within the above rules.

On its part, the Board recommends that Islamic insurance companies do their best to find international Islamic reinsurance companies so that the permissibility of dealing with the above commercial companies becomes based on a pressing necessity. The Board also demands the Legal Supervisory Department to make sure that reinsuring with commercial companies is resorted to when there is a certain need for doing so. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Iftaa` Board

Chairman of the Iftaa` Board, Chief Justice, Izz Al-Deen Al-Tamimi

 Dr. Mohammad Abu Yahia

Dr. Abdulsalam Al-Abbadi

   Dr. Yousef Gheezaan

    Dr. Umar Al-Ashkhaar

  Sheikh Saeid Hijjawi

        Sheikh Na`eim Mijahid   

Dr. Wasif Al- Bakhri

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

How is the meat of the 'aqīqah to be distributed?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
If the 'aqīqah is a recommended one (mandūbah), it is obligatory to give some portion of it in charity to the poor — even if the amount is small — with the minimum being approximately half a kilogram of meat.
The most preferable manner of distribution is to divide it into three equal portions, as with the uḍḥiyyah:
 
One third for the guardian and his household to eat from
One third to be given in charity to the poor
One third to be gifted to friends and neighbours, even if they are wealthy
 
It is furthermore more preferable to send the food to the poor already cooked, rather than inviting them to come and eat. And Allah Almighty knows best.

If a traveler settles or a sick person recovers while fasting, is it permissible for them to break their fast?

● If a sick person starts the day fasting and then recovers during the day, they must complete their fast.
● If a traveler starts the day fasting and then settles (returns or stops traveling) during the day, they must also complete their fast.
● It is forbidden for both of them to break their fast because the concession (rukhsah) is no longer valid once its reason disappears.

What are the legal and religious consequences for a charitable organization in the event that a sacrificial animal is damaged or spoiled after slaughter?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
Charitable organizations entrusted with slaughtering sacrificial animals (uḍḥiyyah) and distributing their meat on behalf of their owners are obligated to safeguard the meat from spoilage, damage, theft, and any other harm. This is because such organizations act as agents (wukalā') on behalf of those offering the sacrifice, and an agent holds what is entrusted to them in trust (amānah) — whether they receive a wage for their work or act on a voluntary basis.
If the sacrificial animal is damaged after slaughter during the processes of packaging, transportation, or storage due to negligence or oversight — whether on the part of the organization's own staff overseeing the operation, or on the part of third parties contracted by the organization such as transport or shipping companies — then liability falls upon the negligent party, who is required to compensate for the value of the sacrifice. It is not permissible to cover such compensation from the organization's other donor funds.
However, if the damage to the sacrificial animal occurs without any negligence in its preservation and storage on the part of any party involved in the transportation, shipping, or storage process, and is instead attributable to force majeure circumstances beyond their control, then no financial liability is borne by any party in such a case. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on purchasing sacrificial animals and authorizing their slaughter via telephone?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is preferable for the one offering a sacrifice (udhiyah) to slaughter the animal himself, in adherence to the Sunnah, or to be present at the slaughter if possible.
 
It is valid to authorize a butcher to purchase a sacrificial animal on his behalf and slaughter it, regardless of whether the animal is owned by the butcher or the butcher is acting as an agent in its sale—according to the Hanbali school—provided that the butcher specifically designates and purchases the animal for the person offering the sacrifice before slaughtering it. And Allah Almighty knows best.