Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(40): "Ruling of Sharia on a Draft Article Concerning the Application of Zero-Interest Contracts in Financing at The Agricultural Credit Corporation"

Date Added : 15-12-2015

 

Resolution No.(40): "Ruling of Sharia on a Draft Article Concerning the Application of Zero-Interest Contracts in Financing at The Agricultural Credit Corporation"

Date: 11/11/1417 AH, corresponding to 20/3/1997

 

We have received the following question:

What is the ruling of Islamic Sharia on the draft article concerning the application of contracts in financing at The Agricultural Credit Corporation?

Answer: 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.

Having undertaken comprehensive study, the Board has arrived at the following version:

Article (1): This regulation is to be called (The regulation of zero-interest financing contracts at the Agricultural Credit Corporation)

Article (2): Words and expressions mentioned in this regulation shall have the equivalent meanings given below, unless the context indicates otherwise.

A- The Corporation: Agricultural Credit Corporation.

B- (The Board):  Board of Directors of the Agricultural Credit Corporation.

C- The Director-General:  Director-General of the Agricultural Credit Corporation.

D- The Sharia supervisory committee: The Committee formed by virtue of this regulation to make sure that the Corporation complies with the rules of Sharia when applying it (regulation).

Article (3): By applying the zero-interest regulation, the Corporation aims at achieving the following:

A- Widening the scope of transaction with the agricultural sector through providing financing and investment services based on this regulation.  

B- Utilizing means of agricultural financing and investment on zero-interest basis.

C- Participating in the provision of necessary financing to meet the needs of the agricultural sector and its targeted groups.

Article (4): The Corporation shall accomplish its goals through the following contracts:

A- Mudarabah (Co-partnership): A contract by which the Corporation provides the needed cash, partially or completely, to finance a defined transaction where the party contracted with (Mudarib) functions on basis of sharing the profit if both parties agree on a certain percentage. In case of loss, the Corporation shall assume the liability; whereas, the partner (Mudarib) shall receive no compensation for his effort, unless he was negligent or committed a violation.

B- Muzaraa`h (Sharecropping): A contract of investing an agricultural land concluded between the owner of the land and the Corporation that shall invest it, if the produce is divided according to an agreed upon percentage. 

C- Musaqah (Share-tenancy): A contract of investing trees concluded between a company `s owner and the Corporation whereby the latter takes care of the trees provided that the produce is divided according to an agreed upon percentage.

D- Almogharasah (farm leasing): A contract between the land lord and the Corporation whereby the latter plants the land and takes care of the planted trees and provides whatever is needed for that end during a certain period, provided that the Corporation utilizes it in accordance with the agreed upon conditions.

E-Murabaha: It means selling an object while informing the purchaser of its original price and the profit he (seller) is getting in this deal. The conditions of the validity of this transaction are the same as the other transactions, i.e. the sold item itself should be lawful, pure, useful, in the possession of seller, and the seller should be able to hand it over to the purchaser. 

F- Istisnaa` (Making at the customer`s order): A contract concluded between the Corporation and the manufacturer whereby the latter shall manufacture a specified type and quantity of a certain commodity within a specified deadline of delivery in return for a defined price to be paid by the Corporation, against the needed materials and work, or the work in case the Corporation provided the needed materials.

G- Salam (Buying in advance): Amongst the conditions for the validity of Salam transaction:

1- The sold property should be describable in terms of features, quantity and available upon delivery time.

2- The contract should include the kind of the sold item, description, quantity and date of delivery.

3- If the contract doesn`t include the date of delivery, the seller is bound to deliver the item at the contracting council.

H-Any other contracts approved by the Board.

Article (5): These contracts fall under the umbrella of the stipulations of the Civil Law.

Article (6): The Corporation shall accept the investors` funds for investing them in its sphere of activities in line with the rules of Islamic Sharia.

Article (7): The Corporation may manage the manageable properties and assets on basis of sharing the profits in line with the rules of the Mudarabah (co-partnership) contract.

Article (8): The Board of Directors shall appoint a Sharia supervisory committee of no less than three specialized scholars. In addition, none may neutralize that committee, dismiss or change any of its members, save by a resolution from the Board, and a direct recommendation from the Director-General.

Article (9): The Board of Directors shall abide by the opinion of the Committee in the following:

A- The instructions issued by the Board regarding the forms and agreements necessary for executing the above contracts.

B- Reviewing the reasons for holding the Corporation responsible for any loss in investment and financing in order to check the Sharia evidence, which backs the resolution of the Board.

Article (10): The Corporation shall draw up its general policy pertaining to zero-interest financing and investment while maintaining a sufficient flow of cash in line with the sound banking customs and practices.

Article (11): The Corporation`s law, regulations and their amendments shall be enforced in cases not addressed in this regulation and after the consent of the Sharia supervisory committee.

Article (12): The Board shall issue the applied instructions necessary for executing this regulation. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Chairman of the Iftaa Board, The Supreme Judge, Izuldeen At-Tamimi
Sheikh Sa`eid Hijjawi
Sheikh Ibrahim Khashan
Dr. Abdulsalam Al-Abbadi
Dr. Fat-hi Al-Duraini
Dr. Mahmoud Al-Bakheet
Dr. Mahmoud Al-Sartawi
Sheikh Mahmoud Shewayat 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible for one who sacrifices on behalf of another, with the latter's permission, to eat from the sacrifice?

It is permissible for someone who sacrificed on behalf of another with their permission to eat from it with their permission, and they stand in their place (act as their representative) in distributing it.
 
It is stated in Nihayat al-Muhtaj ila Sharh al-Minhaj (Vol.8/P.141): "And he—meaning the one sacrificing on his own behalf, provided he has not apostatized—has the right to eat from a voluntary sacrifice and his sacrificial gift; rather, it is recommended. As for an obligatory sacrifice, it is forbidden for him to eat from it, whether it was designated as such initially or as a liability in his dhimmah. And excluded by what has preceded is if he sacrifices on behalf of another, or if he apostatized, then it is not permissible for him to eat from it, just as it is absolutely impermissible to feed a disbeliever from it."(The text I found indicates the impermissibility of eating) ???
 
And it is stated in Hashiyat al-Jamal ‘ala Sharh al-Manhaj (Vol.5/P.262): "If a person offers a sacrifice on behalf of a living person with their permission, does he act as their representative in distributing it—on the grounds that permission to sacrifice is permission to distribute it—or does it depend on their explicit permission? This requires consideration, but the first view is not far-fetched." 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 to include others in the reward of one`s sacrifice?

 

In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is permissible for the person offering an Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) to include others in the spiritual reward of the sacrifice. However, it is not permissible for multiple people to jointly share the purchase price of a single sheep or goat, unless one person gifts the money to the other.
 
It is stated in Mughni al-Muhtaj (6/137) by Al-Khatib al-Shirbini:
 
"If a person includes someone else in the reward of his sacrifice and slaughters it on his own behalf, it is permissible."
 
It should be carefully noted that including someone else in the reward of one's sacrifice is completely distinct from offering a sacrifice on behalf of someone else. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

What is the ruling on swearing on the Holy Quran and breaking that oath?

It is impermissible to swear on the Holy Quran in vain, and it is also impermissible to subject it to such an act since breaking the oath after swearing on the Quran entails an expiation.