Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(131): “Virginity Test”

Date Added : 02-11-2015

 

Resolution No.(131),(9/2009): “On Virginity Test”

Date: 1/8/1430 AH, corresponding to 23/7/2009 AD.

 

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

 

During its third session held on the above date, the Board of Iftaa` reviewed the news reported by some local newspapers that the Director of the National Center for Forensic Medicine stated that large numbers of girls have visited the Center to make sure that they are virgins.

We have asked him about that piece of news through an official letter, and he said that it was inaccurate and that such a test is conducted only upon the request of judicial bodies when they have a case that requires such a thing, and the judge needs to know the truth, so he asks for a report in this regard from the Center. No suitor has ever asked his finance to undergo such an examination. Based on what the Director of the Center said, the Iftaa` Board holds that conducting such a test is permissible when demanded by judicial bodies, and that isn`t considered an accusation to honorable women. However, it should be conducted by a female doctor.

Conducting such a test upon the request of the suitor-although the Director of the Center confirmed it has never happened-is prohibited and the same rule applies to the request itself. This is because uncovering the private parts of men and women is permissible only in case of necessity or dire need as is  the situation mentioned by Center`s Director.

The Board confirms that our society is too honorable and noble to treat young women in such a disrespectful manner, because their honor and pride doesn`t tolerate  such humiliation. On our part, we warn against circulating any piece of news that could stigmatize our Islamic nation and we remind people that Allah Says (what means): “Those who love (to see) scandal published broadcast among the Believers, will have a grievous Penalty in this life and in the Hereafter: God knows, and ye know not” {An-Noor/19}. And Allah Knows Best.

 

 

 

Chairman of the Iftaa` Board, Grand Mufti of Jordan,

Dr. Nooh al-Qhodah

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

Sheikh Abdulkareem al-Khasawneh/ Member
Sheikh Sa`eid Hijjawi/ Member
Dr. Muhammad Khair Al-'Eisa/Member
Judge Sari Attia/Member 
Dr. Abdul-Rahman Ibdah/Member
Dr. Muhammad Aiqla Al-Ibrahim/Member
Dr. Abdul Naser Abu Al-Basal/Member
Excutive Secretary of The Iftaa' Board Dr. Muhammad Al-Khalyla 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on discharging one's zakāh obligation through the provision of a specific benefit (manfa‘ah) — such as performing a surgical operation for a patient, or providing housing to a tenant, and counting the value of this service as zakāh?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is obligatory to pay zakāh from the actual asset (‘ayn al-māl) upon which zakāh is due, except in the case of zakāh on trade goods ('urūḍ at-tijārah), which is paid based on their monetary value. In all cases, zakāh must be given in the form of tamlīk (a full transfer of ownership), based on the words of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic (which mean): "Zakāh expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy, and for those employed to collect [zakāh], and for bringing hearts together [for Islam], and for freeing captives [or slaves], and for those in debt, and for the cause of Allah, and for the [stranded] traveler — an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise" [at-Tawbah/60]. The letter "lām" (لِ) in this verse — as in "lil-fuqarā'" ("for the poor") — indicates possession/ownership (lām al-milk).
It is not permissible to fulfill one's zakāh obligation by providing a benefit or service (manfa‘ah) — such as housing, education, or medical treatment — in place of the zakāh itself. This is because zakāh must be paid as wealth (māl) that is transferred into the ownership of the poor recipient, whereas such services are intangible benefits that are not, in themselves, capable of being formally transferred in ownership (ghayr qābilah lit-tamlīk). And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Is it permissible for a pious Muslim woman to stay with her husband who had quit praying out of laziness?

Quitting prayer is one of the major grave sins that come after disbelieving in Allah, but the wife of such a person isn`t considered divorced, rather, she should exert all her efforts in order to bring him back to the way of Islam. However, if his sin is likely to lure her from the way of Islam, then she had better separate from him by lawful means such as Mokhal`aa (When a wife pays a compensation for her husband in return for divorcing her). Moreover, if she exercises patience, and remains steadfast on her faith, then there is no harm in doing that.

"I told my family at night: 'I will fast tomorrow as qaḍā' (a make-up fast),' but I forgot to make the intention before sleeping. Is my fast valid?"

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
 
The intention is obligatory in acts of worship. For obligatory fasting, the required intention is to resolve to fast during the night [before dawn]. Its proper locus is the heart, while verbalizing the intention out loud in acts of worship is a sunnah — so that the tongue may align with the heart. If the intent behind the statement in question was the intention to fast, then it is valid; but if the intent was merely to inform someone, or reflected hesitation or doubt, then it is not valid.
 
It is stated in *Bushrā al-Karīm* (Vol.1/P.216): "It is a sunnah to verbalize the intention — that is, whatever has already been intended in the heart, whether an obligatory or a voluntary act — such as specifying the number of rak‘ahs, just before the opening takbīr — so that the tongue may assist the heart, and because this is further removed from whispered doubts (waswasah), and in order to accommodate the view of those who held it obligatory in every act of worship that requires an intention (even though this is a minority position), by analogy with Ḥajj."
 
Accordingly: if the intention to fast arose in your heart before the second adhān [i.e., before Fajr], then your fast is valid.
 
And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Is it permissible to combine and shorten prayers at home before traveling?

It is impermissible to combine and shorten prayers at home before traveling because a person is called a traveler once he/she departs the borders of his/her country, and offering prayer that way was originally intended to exempt a traveler. And Allah Knows Best.