Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(70): “Praying on an Electronic Prayer Mat which Shows the Number of Prostrations and Rakhas“

Date Added : 02-11-2015

 

Resolution No.(70): “Praying on an Electronic Prayer Mat which Shows the Number of Prostrations and Rakhas“

Date: 25/8/1424 AH corresponding to 21/10/2003 AD.

 

The Board received the following question:

What is the ruling of Islamic Sharia on praying on an electronic prayer mat shows the number of prostrations and Rakahs (unit of prayer)?

Answer: All success is due to Allah.

The Board is of the view that a Muslim inflicted with repeated forgetfulness is allowed to use such a mat while praying solely in case of necessity.

However, if his forgetfulness wasn`t repeated, then it is disliked for him to use it because it affects his Kushu` (humble submissiveness) during prayer, and because prostration of forgetfulness is lawful. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: ”When any one of you is in doubt about his prayer and he doesn`t know how much he has prayed, three or four (rak'ahs), he should cast aside his doubt and base his prayer on what he is sure of, then perform two prostrations before giving salutations. If he has prayed five rak'ahs, they will make his prayer an even number for him, and if he has prayed exactly four, they will be humiliation for the devil.” {Muslim}. And Allah Knows Best.

                            Chairman of the Iftaa` Board, Chief Justice                     

                         Sheikh Izzaldeen Attamimi               

                        Dr. Yousef Ali Ghyzaan                   

          Dr. Ahmad Hilayel             

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible for the young woman to turn the suitor down if she had no feelings for him?

Yes, it is permissible for her to do so.

Is it permissible to offer mandatory prayer while sitting?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds, and may His Peace and Blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all of his family and companions.                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Standing up is a pillar in the mandatory prayer and the prayer is not valid without it unless one cannot do it. As for Nafila (supererogatory prayer), one can perform it in the state of sitting even if he/she can stand, but his/her reward is half the reward of the person who prays while standing if he/sh has no legal excuse for such an act. And Allah Knows Best.

If someone starts the day sick or traveling while fasting, is it permissible for them to break their fast?

● A sick person who finds fasting difficult is allowed to break their fast, whether they began the day fasting or not.
● As for a traveler:
○ If they were still at home at dawn and then traveled after Fajr (dawn), they must continue fasting unless they experience extreme hardship, in which case they may break their fast.
○ However, if they were already traveling when dawn broke—meaning they had left their town before Fajr—then they are permitted to break their fast. This is what the Prophetﷺ did during the year of the conquest (of Makkah).

My father has debts and asked me to repay them years ago, and I promised him I would do so upon his death — is it permissible for me to go back on my promise given that I am unable to repay them, especially since he refuses to contribute to repayment on the grounds that the debt has become my responsibility by virtue of my promise?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The established principle is that a father's debt is to be repaid from his own wealth, if he possesses sufficient means. As for the promise made by the son to repay it on his father's behalf, fulfilling such a promise is strongly recommended, and breaking it is considerably disliked. Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Fulfilling a promise is emphatically recommended, and breaking it is severely disliked. The evidences for this from the Qurʾān and the Sunnah are well known." [Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn,Vol. 2/P.278] Shaykh al-Islām Imām Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī, may Allah have mercy upon him, further states: "The reason fulfilling a promise is not obligatory and breaking it is not forbidden is that a promise is in the nature of a gift, and a gift does not become binding except upon receipt." [Asnā al-Maṭālib fī Sharḥ Rawḍ al-Ṭālib,Vol. 2/P.487]
Given that the son does not possess the financial means to fulfil his promise to his father, breaking this promise falls beyond his capacity — and Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. Since the father himself possesses sufficient wealth to settle his own debt, repayment must be made from his own funds. Should he pass away before doing so, the debt is to be settled from his estate. And Allah the Almighty knows best.