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 of Islamic Law on a person who abandons prayer after reaching puberty—is he required to make them up?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Making up missed obligatory prayers is an Islamic duty just as performing them in their proper time is obligatory, and taking care of them takes precedence over performing voluntary prayers. This is established by the practice of our Supreme Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when the polytheists distracted him on the Day of the Trench from performing the Asr prayer, so he made it up afterward, as well as the Hadith: "Pay Allah what is due to Him, for Allah is most deserving of fulfillment." (Recorded by Al-Bukhari)
 
Furthermore, it is valid to make up missed prayers at any time.
 
Whoever has missed a number of prayers and does not know their exact count, it is obligatory upon them to sincerely repent and exert their utmost effort to estimate their number. If they are unable to determine the exact count, they should base it on what is most probable according to their best judgment. They should then make them up gradually; if one performs one missed prayer alongside every current obligatory prayer, the matter becomes easy and manageable, and with the passage of time, one will complete what is owed, Allah willing. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the meaning of the word aqiqah?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
The 'aqīqah in its linguistic sense refers to the hair upon the head of a newborn at the time of birth.
In its Sharī'ah sense, it refers to the livestock that is slaughtered on behalf of a newborn child.
And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on performing prayer on the upper floors of al-Masjid al-Ḥarām?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Facing the actual structure of the Ka‘bah (‘ayn al-Ka‘bah) is one of the conditions for the validity of the prayer. The scholars have clarified what is meant by "the actual structure of the Ka‘bah."
Imam ash-Sharwānī (raḥimahullāh) said: "What is meant by its ‘ayn (actual structure) is its physical body, or the airspace directly aligned with it — if the person praying is not inside it. But if he is inside it, then the airspace alone does not suffice; rather, the actual physical structure must be faced, such that even if he faces a projecting part of it measuring roughly two-thirds of a dhirā‘ (cubit) or more, this would be sufficient." [Ḥāshiyat ash-Sharwānī ‘alā Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj, Vol.1/P.484]
Sheikh al-Qulyūbī (raḥimahullāh) said: "Unlike one who prays outside it — i.e., outside the Ka‘bah — for him the airspace (directly above it) suffices, even if he is higher than it, or even if he is at the location where it (hypothetically) has been demolished." [Ḥāshiyat al-Qulyūbī ‘alā Sharḥ al-Minhāj,  Vol.1/P.154]
Accordingly, the prayer is valid on the upper floors of al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, even though these floors are higher than the roof of the Ka‘bah itself. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on someone who possesses cash reaching the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for zakah), and then uses part of it to purchase gold before the ḥawl (lunar year) is complete — must he pay zakāh on all of it [combined], or only on the remaining cash, excluding the gold?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Gold acquired for hoarding and saving is subject to zakāh once it reaches the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for Zakah) — when combined with any cash held — and once a full ḥawl (lunar year) has elapsed over it. The starting point for calculating this ḥawl is the ḥawl of the paper currency [used to purchase it], which had already reached the niṣāb and was then used to purchase the gold.
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.2/p.78): "As for someone who sells silver in exchange for gold, or vice versa, zakāh remains obligatory upon it, since he builds [the calculation of] its ḥawl upon [the ḥawl established at the time of] the original transaction [i.e., when the wealth was first acquired]."
This has already been explained in detail in Fatwa No. 2670 — please refer to it.
And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.