Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(57): "Ruling on Halalcom Card Issued by Middle Solutions Company (MSC)"

Date Added : 10-02-2016

 

Resolution No.(57): "Ruling on Halalcom Card Issued by Middle Solutions Company (MSC)"

Date:12/10/1422 AH, corresponding to 26/12/2001.

 

The Board has received the following question:

What is the ruling of Islamic Sharia on Halalcom card, which "Middle Solutions Company" intends to put into circulation. For further clarification, I will refer to the following:

The relationship between the company and the client:

The company issues Halalcom card, which enables the client to purchase any product in the company`s possession, or any of its branches in Jordan. After the issuance of Halalcom card to the client, he/she is given a certain number through which each independent act of purchase is dealt with, and each transaction constitutes an independent contract in its own right. The client pays (3%) from the overall value of the invoice, and repays the rest as equal monthly installments, up to (26) as a maximum. Moreover, the client can`t withdraw any cash amounts through this card, it doesn`t authorize him/her to purchase products from other companies, he/she doesn`t pay any interests for the installments, or any other sums added to the overall value of the product`s price, which has the same value whether it was paid for in cash or by installments.

The relationship between Jordan Ahli Bank and the client of the {MSC}.

There is no relationship between the Bank and the {MSC} clients.

As regards the relationship between the {MSC} and the Jordan Ahli Bank:

The Bank issues the above card on the following grounds:

A- Owing to the fact that the Jordan Ahli Bank is the only bank in the H.K.J which is fully qualified to issue and deal with credit cards in line with the instructions of the Jordan Central Bank, it has agreed with the {MSC} to issue cards holding the name of the latter, with the logo "Halalcom" inscribed under the its name. The Bank`s task is to issue these cards. In return, it charges two and a half JDs for each card it issues to  the company`s clients; still, the latter aren`t charged with any amount.

B- Consequently, the Bank doesn`t charge the client or the company with any interest or amounts in return for the issuance of the cards.

C- The Bank is obliged to preserve the credibility of the cards it issues to the company`s clients, and to guarantee that they aren`t tied to cash bonds or deposits.

The above summarizes how these cards, to be put into circulation, operate, hoping that your Fatwa includes the position of Sharia in the following situations:

A- The company sells its products via these cards (Halalcom), where the cash price is paid via installments, and no extra charges or interests is collected in return.

B- The company may buy a product, which it doesn`t have, from the local market upon the client`s request, then sells it to him/her for its cash price through installments after determining the cash price of that product , and at the same time acquainting the client with that price when concluding that deal. This is provided that the profit margin is reasonable and within the proper limits.

Moreover, the client can purchase any of the company`s products through Islamic Murabaha…?

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.

The Iftaa` Board has reviewed the above, and came to realize that the company gives that card to the client who purchases any of its products through an installment-sale contract concluded between the two parties without any interests, and without charging the client with any amounts in return for getting that card.

Having reviewed the letter of the Jordan Ahli Bank`s manager by our Board, in which the former clarified the nature of that card within the letter and how it operates, our view that it doesn`t involve any interests, and that the Bank`s task is to issue it in return for an annual fee paid by the company.

The Installment-sale method adopted by (MSC) via the above mentioned card is permissible so long as it involves zero-interest and complies with the rules of Islamic Sharia. Moreover, it is permissible for the (MSC) to employ Islamic Murabaha provided that it adheres to its Sharia rules and conditions. And Allah Knows Best.

Iftaa` Board
Chairman of the Iftaa` Board, Chief Justice, Izz Al-Deen Al-Tamimi

                   Dr. Mohammad Abu Yahia       

                  Dr. Abdulsalam Al-Abbadi       

    Sheikh Saeid Hijjawi

        Sheikh Na`eim Mojahid

Dr. Wasif Al-Bakhri

     Dr. Yousef Gheezaan

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

I work overtime after regular working hours and may become occupied with my phone or the work computer for personal matters — what is the ruling on this?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is obligatory upon an employee to abide by the instructions and regulations governing overtime hours, and equally obligatory to uphold honesty and avoid all forms of deception and dishonesty. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "O you who have believed, be mindful of Allah and be with the truthful." [Al-Tawbah/ 119]
Whoever is assigned to work overtime must be present at his workplace — even if he has no specific tasks to carry out at that time. In such a case, he should strive as best he can to spend that time in a manner that benefits the institution he works for. If there is genuinely no work for him to do, there is no objection to occupying his time with something beneficial — such as reciting the Holy Qurʾān, reading, or listening to educational lessons — provided he has already completed all the responsibilities assigned to him.
If, however, he does have work to complete, he must spend that time fulfilling it. He may attend to phone calls or other personal matters to the extent that is customarily acceptable, as long as this does not result in delaying or postponing his work. If he delays his work on account of personal preoccupations, the wages he received for that wasted time are not lawfully his to keep, and he is obliged to return the equivalent amount to the institution by whatever means available to him. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is Zakah (obligatory charity) due on the Zakah money received by a poor person, and reached a Nissab (minimum amount liable for Zakah), and a whole lunar year had lapsed over having it in his possession?

Yes, the poor who possessed a Nissab for a whole lunar year is obliged to pay the Zakah due on that money even if it was given to him as a Zakah money in the first place. And Allah Knows Best.

What fulfills the requirement of Suhoor?

Suhoor is fulfilled by eating even a single date or drinking a sip of water, anytime after midnight and before Fajr, with the intention of strengthening oneself for fasting.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on obtaining financing from Islamic banks by bringing invoices in prior arrangement with the seller, then taking the cash after the financing is approved — with the purpose of settling debts and buying a car?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It appears from the transaction described that its underlying purpose is to obtain cash through resorting to a legal artifice (ḥīlah/tawarruq-style trick), and it is not permissible to engage in such trickery or to coordinate with the various parties merely to obtain liquidity. This is because such artifices bring the sale closer in reality to a ribā-based (usurious) transaction, even if it outwardly appears otherwise.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not commit what the Jews committed, thereby making lawful what Allah has made unlawful through the flimsiest of tricks." This was related by Ibn Baṭṭah in his book Ibṭāl al-Ḥiyal (p. 47), and many scholars have graded it as ḥasan (sound/acceptable).
We have already explained the impermissibility of engaging in such deceptive dealings with Islamic banks in Fatwa No. 516, so please refer to it. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.