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Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(153): "Ruling on Taking Charge of Orphans` Funds and Transferring them to other Parties"

Date Added : 02-11-2015

 

Resolution No.(153)(18/2010) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Taking Charge of Orphans` Funds and Transferring them to other Parties"

Date: 2/9/1431, corresponding to 12/8/2010 AD.

 

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

During its ninth session held on the above given date, the Board reviewed the letter of His Grace, The Supreme Judge, with which was enclosed the letter of her Excellency, The Minister of Social Affairs, where she asked for clarifying the rule of Sharia on cancelling the sponsorship of orphans who are cared for by alternative families after changing their names, and the possibility of transferring the funds deposited in their bank accounts to the account of the foundation, where they were raised in the first place?

After prolonged deliberations, the Board decided:

It is permissible for the sponsor to cancel his sponsorship for a certain reason, such as: improvement of the orphan`s living conditions, the sponsor is unable to provide for him or another person volunteered to sponsor him. Therefore, ending the sponsorship, in these cases, is permissible.

As regards the funds that have already been deposited in the account of a certain orphan or those being donated to him, they are considered his own property, and it is impermissible for the givers to take them back, whatever the case may be. This is because once a person gives a Hibah (grant/donation), he isn`t permitted to take it back. This is indicated by the Hadith of the Prophet: "One who gets back the gift is like one who eats vomit" (Muslim).

Accordingly, it isn`t permissible for anyone to take from an orphan`s funds, save to be spent in matters beneficial to him and with the approval of his guardian and without any sort of compulsion. Allah, The Almighty, Says (what means): "Those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, eat up a Fire into their own bodies: They will soon be enduring a Blazing Fire!" { An-Nisa`}. The Prophet (PBUH) also said (what means):"It is unlawful to take the property of a Muslim, save with his cheerfulness" {Narrated by Darqotni}. Moreover, changing an orphan`s name or being cared for by another family isn`t an excuse for taking the funds donated to him or giving them to any party because they have become his own property. Since these orphans haven`t reached puberty, it isn`t permissible to transfer the funds deposited in their accounts to any party. This is because it isn`t permissible for anyone to take charge of another`s property because the latter is placed under interdiction for being underage or the like, save in matters that are beneficial to him. Therefore, once these orphans reach puberty, they can do whatever they want as far as their property is concerned. Allah, The Almighty, Says (what means): "if then ye find sound judgment in them, release their property to them." (An-Nisa`/6). And Allah Knows Best.

 

Head of the Iftaa` Board, The Grand Mufti 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-Has`sanat

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

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.

Is the Saying "Whatever is Taken by the Sword of Shyness is Forbidden" an Authentic Ḥadīth?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The saying "Whatever is taken by the sword of shyness is forbidden" is not an authentic ḥadīth, though its underlying meaning is sound. The established sharʿī principle is that a Muslim's wealth is not lawful for anyone to take except with his wholehearted consent, as Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly, but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent." [Al-Nisā/ 29] And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Listen to me and you will live well: do not wrong others, do not wrong others, do not wrong others. Indeed, a man's wealth is not lawful except with his full, willing consent." (Reported by Aḥmad in his Musnad.) Whatever is taken through the pressure of shyness or social embarrassment runs directly counter to genuine, wholehearted consent.
The jurists have explicitly stated that whatever is taken by means of the "sword of shyness" carries the same ruling as that which is taken by coercion — it must be returned to its rightful owner.
Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states in al-Fatāwā al-Kubrā (Vol.3/P.30): "Do you not see the reported scholarly consensus that whoever has something taken from him purely out of shyness, without his genuine consent, does not pass ownership of it to the one who took it? They reasoned that this constitutes a form of coercion through the 'sword of shyness,' comparable to coercion at the point of an actual sword. Indeed, many people would rather submit to the literal sword and endure the pain of its wound than submit to this first kind of coercion, out of fear for their dignity and standing — which people of sound judgment hold dear and guard most fiercely." And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible for one to shake hands with his uncle`s daughter?

No, it isn`t because he is a non-Mahram (Marriageable) to her.

What is the ruling on using eye drops while fasting?

Eye drops do not break the fast, even if the taste reaches the throat, because the eye is not an open passage to the body cavity.

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