Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(188): "The Amount of Zakat-Ul-Fitr for the Year 1434"

Date Added : 17-11-2015

 

Resolution No.(188)(7/2013) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"The Amount of Zakat-Ul-Fitr for the Year 1434"

Date: 25/8/1434 AH, corresponding to 4/7/2013 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.

On the above given date, the Board reviewed the amount of Zakat-Ul-Fitr for the year 14334 AH.

 After researching and deliberating, it decided the following:

Zakat-Ul-Fitr is one of the obligations of Islam as indicated by the following Hadith: "Allah's Messenger (PBUH) made it incumbent on all the slave or free Muslims, male or female, to pay one Sa' of dates or barley as Zakat-ul-Fitr." {Bukhari}.

Zakat-Ul-Fitr embodies social solidarity that characterizes our tolerant Sharia; particularly, in the blessed month of  Ramadan; the month of goodness and kindness. Therefore, it is obligatory upon every Muslim who owns extra provisions beyond his need as well as the need of everyone in his family on the day and night of  Ed-Ul-Fitr. In other words, one father should pay for himself and for whom he supports, even for his baby who is born before the sunset of the last day of Ramadan as well as his poor parents whom he supports.

Therefore, the amount of Zakat-Ul-Fitr is one sa` of food; the sa` equals (2.5 Kgs.), given by a Muslim from what the people of his country eat the most. In the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the common food is wheat; therefore, Zakat-Ul-Fitr is (2.5 Kgs.) of wheat on every Muslim person. It is also permissible to give one sa` of rice since it is more useful to the poor and easier to provide by the giver. Moreover, it is permissible to give the value of this amount in currency.

The Board estimates the value of the sa` from the common food in Jordan as (1500 F.), and whoever wishes to pay more  shall have a greater reward from Allah, The Almighty.

The preferred time for giving Zakat-Ul-Fitr is between the sunset of the last day of Ramadan and the E`ed prayer. It is also permissible to give it from the beginning of Ramadan.

Nowadays, it is imperative that Muslims observe this ritual (Zakat-ul-Fitr) since it purifies the soul of the giver. Therefore, it must be given on behalf of the child, who isn`t obliged to fast, as well as the sick who is unable to fast. Ibn ’Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) narrated: "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) enjoined Zakat-ul-fitr on the one who fasts (i.e. fasted during the month of Ramadan) to purify him from any indecent act or speech and for the purpose of providing food for the needy.“ {Abu Dawood}. Giving it to the poor makes them self-sufficient on the day of E`ed; therefore , a Muslim must give it willingly and kindly.

We pray that Allah, The Almighty, Accepts our acts of devotion and Forgives our sins. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Chairman of the Iftaa` Board, The Grand Mufti of Jordan, Sheikh AbdulKareem al-Khasawneh

Prof. Abdulnasser Abulbasal / Member

Sheikh Sae`id Hijjawi / Member

Dr. Wasif al-Bakhri / Member

Prof. Mohammad al-Qhodat / Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh / Member

Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-Esa / Member

Dr. Mohammad  al-Z`obi / Member

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

My brother works in a conventional bank and gave me one of the gifts distributed to bank employees — what is the ruling on accepting it?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
There is no objection to accepting such gifts, because the physical gift itself does not carry any inherent prohibition — unlike stolen property. Sin does not transfer or extend to the one who receives the gift, for Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "And no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another." [Al-Anʿām/164]
The evidence for this is that the Prophet ﷺ himself ate from the food of the Jews, conducted transactions with them, and purchased from them — and it is well known that their wealth was intermingled with ribā. Similarly, the wealth of conventional ribā-based banks is a mixture of the lawful and the unlawful.
Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "It is not forbidden to transact with one whose wealth is predominantly unlawful, nor to eat from it — as al-Nawawī affirmed in al-Majmūʿ." [Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj, Vol. 9/P.389] And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on deliberately breaking the fast while being capable of fasting?

Whoever intentionally breaks their fast in Ramadan without a valid excuse has committed a major sin and bears great guilt. They must repent, seek forgiveness, refrain from eating and drinking for the rest of the day, and make up for that day after Ramadan.
They have lost an immense reward, which cannot be compensated even by fasting an entire lifetime as a voluntary act, because an obligatory fast cannot be equaled by voluntary fasting.
If the fast was broken through sexual intercourse, the person must:
● Make up for the missed fast (qada), and
● Perform kaffarah by fasting two consecutive months.
● If they are unable to do so, they must feed sixty needy people.

Does tooth extraction during the day in Ramadan break the fast?

Simply extracting a tooth during the day in Ramadan does not break the fast. However, if water or blood enters the body cavity, the fast becomes invalid.
Whoever's fast is invalidated in this way must refrain from eating and drinking for the rest of the day out of respect for the sacred month and make up for that day later.
It is preferable to postpone the extraction until nighttime or after Ramadan if possible.

What are the legal and religious consequences for a charitable organization in the event that a sacrificial animal is damaged or spoiled after slaughter?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
Charitable organizations entrusted with slaughtering sacrificial animals (uḍḥiyyah) and distributing their meat on behalf of their owners are obligated to safeguard the meat from spoilage, damage, theft, and any other harm. This is because such organizations act as agents (wukalā') on behalf of those offering the sacrifice, and an agent holds what is entrusted to them in trust (amānah) — whether they receive a wage for their work or act on a voluntary basis.
If the sacrificial animal is damaged after slaughter during the processes of packaging, transportation, or storage due to negligence or oversight — whether on the part of the organization's own staff overseeing the operation, or on the part of third parties contracted by the organization such as transport or shipping companies — then liability falls upon the negligent party, who is required to compensate for the value of the sacrifice. It is not permissible to cover such compensation from the organization's other donor funds.
However, if the damage to the sacrificial animal occurs without any negligence in its preservation and storage on the part of any party involved in the transportation, shipping, or storage process, and is instead attributable to force majeure circumstances beyond their control, then no financial liability is borne by any party in such a case. And Allah Almighty knows best.