Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(68): “Ruling on Investing and trading in Stocks of Public Shareholding Companies“

Date Added : 02-11-2015

 

Resolution No.(68): “Ruling on Investing and trading in Stocks of Public Shareholding Companies“

Date: 5/8/1424 AH corresponding to 1/10/2003 AD.

 

The Board received the following question:

What is the Ruling of Islamic Sharia on investing and trading in stocks of public shareholding companies?

Answer: All success is due to Allah.

After careful study and deliberation, the Board believes that investing and trading in stocks of public shareholding companies, which deal in illegal business such as trading in wine or producing it, is forbidden, and the same ruling applies to similar companies.

As regards companies that deal in lawful business, which was slightly mixed with that which is unlawful such as dealing in usury, investing in them is permissible, provided that the investors remove the usurious amounts from their profits and give them to the poor and needy Muslims. And Allah Knows Best.

Iftaa` Board

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

   Dr. Mohammad Abu Yahia     

  Dr. Ahmad Hilayil     

    Sheikh Mahmoud Shwayyaat

Dr. Yousef Gheezaan

Dr. Wasif Al-Bakhri

 Sheikh Saeid Hijjawi

Sheikh Na`eim Mujahid

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Summarized Fatawaa

My brother works in a conventional bank and gave me one of the gifts distributed to bank employees — what is the ruling on accepting it?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
There is no objection to accepting such gifts, because the physical gift itself does not carry any inherent prohibition — unlike stolen property. Sin does not transfer or extend to the one who receives the gift, for Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "And no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another." [Al-Anʿām/164]
The evidence for this is that the Prophet ﷺ himself ate from the food of the Jews, conducted transactions with them, and purchased from them — and it is well known that their wealth was intermingled with ribā. Similarly, the wealth of conventional ribā-based banks is a mixture of the lawful and the unlawful.
Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "It is not forbidden to transact with one whose wealth is predominantly unlawful, nor to eat from it — as al-Nawawī affirmed in al-Majmūʿ." [Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj, Vol. 9/P.389] And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on eating or drinking during the first Adhan?

It is permissible to eat and drink during the first Adhan because it takes place before the break of dawn. The purpose of this Adhan is to notify Muslims of the approaching dawn so they can prepare to stop eating when they hear the second Adhan.

What is the ruling on one who performs ablution or the ritual bath while having nail polish?

Nail polish must be removed before ablution or ritual bath so that water reaches what is beneath it, because it is a barrier that prevents water from reaching that area. This is based on the hadith narrated by Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace be upon him): "Whoever leaves a hair's breadth of his body unwashed from major impurity, such and such will be done to him in the Fire." (Reported by al-Bukhari). And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible to pay the Zakah (obligatory charity) for settling the debt of a deceased relative?

It is impermissible to pay the Zakah for settling the debt of the deceased since Zakah is paid to eligible recipients who are alive. As for the debts of the deceased, they are to be settled from the estate before dividing it amongst the heirs, but if the deceased didn`t leave an estate, then it is desirable for his/her heirs to settle those debts if they can afford them. And Allah Knows Best.