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Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(143) (8/2010): "Ruling on Commissions Charged by Brokers In Money Laundering Operations"

Date Added : 02-11-2015

 

Resolution No.(143) (8/2010) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Commissions Charged by Brokers In Money Laundering Operations"

Date: (7/5/1431 A.H), corresponding to (22/4/2010)AD.

 

 

All praise be to Allah, peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon his family and companions:

During its fourth session held on the above given date, the Board reviewed the following question:

What is the ruling on commissions charged by brokers in money laundering operations that take place in certain countries, and with their approval ?

After careful study and deliberation, the Board decided what follows:

“Money Laundering” is to transform illegally obtained gain into seemingly legitimate funds in order to hide its origin so that it looks as if it comes from a legitimate business. 

Money laundering is prohibited in Islamic Sha`ree`ah, because the money itself comes from an illegitimate source such as usury, gambling, drugs and wines, so the resulting profit is ill-gotten. Allah Says in the Holy Quran, (What means): “O ye who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities: But let there be amongst you Traffic and trade by mutual good-will: Nor kill (or destroy) yourselves: for verily God hath been to you Most Merciful!” {An-Nis`sa/29}. This verse clarifies that it is wrong for a Muslim to waste a property whether it was in his name, or belongs to the community, or to the people over whom he has control. A Muslim is allowed to increase property by economic use (traffic and trade). We must be careful of our own and other people`s lives and commit no violence. Our violence to our own brethren is particularly preposterous, seeing that Allah has loved and showered His mercies on us and all His creatures.

 

Money laundering isn`t a trade because those who do it aren`t seeking profit, rather, they falsely seek to make it look like a legitimate business.

Undoubtedly, money laundering causes great damage to the national economy and leads to tax evasion which undermines the public treasury because the overhead revenues don`t cover the overhead expenses, and this undermines the state and strengthens the organized crime.

Accordingly, brokerage in such illegitimate operations is forbidden in Islamic law because it assists in committing that which is unlawful. Allah Says in this regard (What means): “Help ye one another in righteousness and piety, but help ye not one another in sin and rancour: fear Allah. for Allah is strict in punishment.” {Al-Mai`da/2}. Brokerage in this illegal activity assists in establishing that which is mendacious since every derivative of mendacity is equally mendacious, so the money resulting from it is tantamount to illegitimate gain.

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has fought this phenomenon, and so it issued the Counter Money Laundering Law No.(46/2007) which bans such a crime, counters it and regards it liable to punishment. And Allah Knows Best.

 

 

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

Vice Head of the Iftaa` Board, Dr. Ahmad Hilayel

Dr. Yahia Al-Botoosh/ Member

His Eminence, Sheikh Sa`ied Hijjawi/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-Essa

Judge Sarrie Attieh

Dr. Abdulrahman Ibbdah/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Oklah/ Member

Dr. Abduln`nassir Abu Al Bass`al/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Gharaibeh/ Member

Executive Secretary of the Iftaa` Board, Dr. Ahmad Al-Ha`sanat

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible to agree with a butcher to purchase the meat of an animal after it has been slaughtered — for instance, by buying the meat of a sheep at a price determined by the weight of its meat following slaughter, at a fixed rate per kilogram? And what is the ruling if the animal is being purchased with the intention of it being an uḍḥiyyah (sacrificial offering)?

 
 
 
 
 

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is not permissible to sell livestock in the manner of pricing each kilogram of meat after slaughter at a fixed rate, because the meat within the animal prior to slaughter is unseen and unknown. This leads to jahālah (ignorance of the subject matter) and gharar (contractual uncertainty), both of which are among the invalidating factors in sales transactions.
However, it is permissible for the buyer to issue a promise to purchase the meat of the animal after slaughter at a specified price per kilogram, with the actual sale being concluded at the time of weighing the meat — at which point both the quantity of the goods and the total price become known. There is no Sharī'ah objection to this arrangement.
The jurists have stipulated that for a sale to be valid, both countervalues must be present and observable. Al-Khaṭīb al-Shirbīnī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states:
"It is valid to sell a heap of grain whose total measure is unknown to both contracting parties at a rate of one sā' per dirham. This sale is valid because the subject of sale is present and observable, and ignorance of the total price is not harmful since it is known in detail — and uncertainty is thereby lifted."— [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol.2/P.355]
As for the uḍḥiyyah, the 'aqīqah, and vowed blood sacrifices (al-dam al-mandhūr) — full ownership of the animal must be established prior to slaughter. It is not valid for such animals to be slaughtered while still in the ownership of the butcher. Rather, the animal must be purchased alive and then slaughtered with the intention of uḍḥiyyah or the like. And Allah Almighty knows best.

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