Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(76): “Ruling on the Financing System for the Housing of the General Corporation of Social Security Employees on Basis of Islamic Murabaha in Favor of the One Ordering the Purchase“

Date Added : 02-11-2015

 

Resolution No.(76) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies: 

 "Ruling on the Financing System for the Housing of the General Corporation of Social Security Employees on Basis of Islamic Murabaha in Favor of the One Ordering the Purchase“

Date: 13/4/1425 AH, corresponding to 2/6/2004 AD.    

 

 

Question:

To how extent do the regulations pertaining to the financing of the housing of the General Corporation of Social Security employees agree with the rules of Islamic Sharia?

Answer: All success is due to Allah.

After careful study and deliberation, the Board made the following remarks:

Article (2) defines the one ordering the purchase,  or a  purchaser as: The General Manager/employee. The Board recommends deleting the word (purchaser), whether it comes alone or accompanied by (the one ordering the purchase). It also recommends defining (the one ordering the purchase) as every employee of the General Corporation of Social Security.

Article (9/D) states: “After presenting the irrevocable power of attorney and a letter from the concerned Directorate of Lands Registration indicating that the estate is free of any rights that hinder disposing of it, the Social Security Corporation shall issue a letter of promise to the landlord , whereby it pledges to pay off the agreed upon price.”

 

The Board is of the view that the irrevocable power of attorney doesn`t mean that the authorized has actually possessed the estate, which makes this contract in contradiction with the rules of Sharia which prohibit selling an item that isn`t in the sellers` possession; therefore, the item must get possessed and guaranteed by the one ordered  to purchase it, then transferred, through a valid sale contract, to the possession of the one ordering the purchase. Moreover, in order for this proxy to become tantamount to possessing the estate, it should clearly stipulate that the Social Security Corporation shall guarantee the purchased estate completely. Therefore, the Board is of the view that clause (D) of article (9) should read as follows:

“Issuing a promissory letter by the Social Security Corporation to the landlord whereby it shall guarantee settling the agreed upon price after presenting the irrevocable power of attorney, which must state clearly that the Corporation shall guarantee the purchased estate completely, and a letter from the concerned Lands` Registration Directorate indicating that the estate is free of any rights that hinder disposing of it.”

 

It is permissible for the Corporation to ratify the irrevocable power of attorney enclosed with the regulations pertaining to the financing system of the housing of the Corporation`s employees since it clearly states that the Corporation shall guarantee the purchased estate completely, and in order to become permissible in Sharia once the item, ordered to be purchased {Murabaha}, becomes in the possession and guarantee of the Corporation. This is also because the temporary law pertaining to the immovable property, 26/2003, issued on 16/4/2003 has been included within item (4) of clause (o), article (11): stipulates that an authorized person, or any other party may not initiate any action whatsoever, including  the execution of immovable properties included within the irrevocable power of attorney after its inscription in the trade register of these properties at the concerned lands` registration department.

Article (4/A) states: “Housing financing through Murabaha shall be granted after two years pass over the classification of an employee of the Corporation.”

The Board recommends replacing the word (classification) with the word (recruitment).

Article (8/A&B) include grammatical mistakes that must be corrected. And Allah Knows Best.

 

 

Iftaa` Board

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

Dr. Wasif Al-Bakhri

Dr. Abdulmajeed Al-Salaheen

Dr. Abdullah Al-Manasrah

Sheikh Sae`id Hijjawi

Sheikh Nae`im Mujahid

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
There is no objection to participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers, provided that the buyer's intention in purchasing is not merely to enter the competition without any need for what is bought — rather, the purchase must be genuinely intended for the item itself, and one must not pay more than the item's fair market price. This is because paying an amount above the market price would effectively be paying a fee to enter the prize draw, which would render it a form of gambling (qimār).
These prizes are, in essence, gifts that businesses offer through a random drawing (qur'ah) to those who purchase from them, as a means of encouraging sales, without the customer bearing any additional monetary cost for participation. So long as the aforementioned conditions are met, there is no objection to benefiting from the prize offered by the store, as it is considered a lawful prize from the viewpoint of Islamic Law.
It is stated in the resolutions of the "Jordanian Iftaa' Board" (Resolution No. 47), in the context of outlining the conditions for permissible prizes: "The price of the ticket [or item purchased] for the sake of the prize must not exceed its original price, so that there is no payment of money in exchange for participation in the draw." And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

Is it permissible for the wife to give the Zakah (obligatory charity) of her money to her poor husband?

Yes, it is permissible for the wife to give from the Zakah of her money to her poor husband. And Allah Knows Best.

A person who has recently embraced Islam is afraid of undergoing circumcision (khitān) — what should he do?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
If this person would be harmed by undergoing circumcision, based on the assessment of a trustworthy physician, then he is not obligated to undergo it. However, if the matter is simply a fear of the procedure itself, then it may be postponed until he feels at ease and settled about it, provided this does not lead him to become averse to Islam — while still taking care to remove any impurity from the concealed area [beneath the foreskin]. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

I bought an apartment, and I am saving money to pay the remaining balance of its price — is zakāh obligatory on this money?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Zakāh is obligatory on all saved/hoarded wealth. Once the total wealth reaches the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for zakah— equivalent to the value of 85 grams of pure 24-karat gold) and a full ḥawl (lunar year) has elapsed over it, zakāh becomes obligatory at a rate of (2.5%) — even if the wealth is earmarked for basic future needs, and even if the wealth's owner is in debt. Debt does not prevent the obligation of zakāh, nor is it deducted when calculating the zakāh due, based on the general and unrestricted wording of all the Qur'anic verses commanding zakāh, which draw no distinction between someone in debt and anyone else.
It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik, from the books of the Shāfi‘ī school: "If someone possesses exactly the niṣāb, and owes an equivalent amount in debt, zakāh remains obligatory on what is in his possession, and the debt does not prevent this obligation" — meaning, the obligation of zakāh on what is presently in his possession.
The ḥawl (annual cycle) recognized for zakāh, as well as for the other sharī‘ah obligations that Allah, the Exalted, has imposed upon Muslims, is the Hijrī (lunar) year. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.