Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(225): "Ruling on the Zakat Fund`s Delaying the Payment of the Zakat Surplus till the Coming Year"

Date Added : 28-11-2016

Resolution No.(225) by the Board of Iftaa, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on the Zakat Fund`s Delaying the Payment of the Zakat Surplus till the Coming Year"

Date: 25/Sha`ban/1437 AH, corresponding to 1/6/2016 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 seventh session held on the above date, the Board reviewed the question received from the Zakat Fund`s Director-General, and  reads as follows: 
The Zakat Fund pays a total of (2,500,000) as monthly allowances to (3000) poor families from the Zakat money it receives. If these revenue are equal to what the Fund pays to the poor families, then there is no harm in that; but if they aren`t, then the surplus should be delayed to the following years so as for the Fund to cover those allowances. Does this contradict Sharia?
After deliberating, the Board decided the following:
In principle, Zakat must be paid immediately because it is an acknowledged right for the beggar and the deprived. This right is due by the end of each lunar year since it is forbidden to delay giving rights to whom they belong. Al-Khateeb Ash-Shirbini said: "Zakat must be paid immediately because its recipients are in need for it." {Moghni Al-Mohtajj}. If the availability of the Zakat money for the coming year is guaranteed, Insha`Allah, it is more prudent to divide the surplus amongst the recipients by adding it to their monthly allowances or to increase the number of recipients in order to help other poor and needy people to cover their expenses without delaying the payment of Zakat money.
However, if the Zakat Fund is certain that it can`t afford the allowances of the poor for the coming year, and decided that delaying the distribution of the surplus amongst them is in their best interest, then there is no harm in doing that, because scholars have permitted the administrator of the Zakat funds to delay paying them for a necessity, as stated by Sheikh Al-Islam Zakaria Al-Ansari: "It is permissible for the administrator of the Zakat funds, who is appointed by the ruler, to delay their distribution in order to receive more funds since he isn`t obliged to give each small sum that he receives". [Asna' Al-Matalib]. And Allah Knows Best.

Chairman of the Iftaa` Board, Sheikh Abdulkareem al-Khasawneh
Vice chairman, Prof. Ahmad Hilayel
Dr. Hayel Abdulhafeez/ Member
Sheikh Sa`ied Hijjawi/ Member
Prof. Abdlnasser Abulbasal/ Member
Prof. Abdullah Al-Fawaaz/ Member
Islamic Judge Khaled Woraikat/ Member
Dr. Mohammad Khair al-Eesa/ Member
Dr. Mohammad al-Zou`bi/ Member
Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh/ Member

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on men wearing rings (those made of silver and of other metals, such as iron), and are there conditions for men wearing rings?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is sunnah for men to wear a silver ring on the right hand, following the practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is reported in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, on the authority of Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) took a silver ring and had “Muḥammad Rasūl Allāh” engraved on it. He said: “I have taken a ring of silver and had ‘Muḥammad Rasūl Allāh’ engraved on it, so let no one engrave the like of its engraving.”
It is a condition that the silver ring not exceed the size customary in the local norm (ʿurf). If it does, that is extravagance (isrāf). A ring made of a metal other than silver, such as iron or copper, is permissible to wear without disapproval (karāhah), except gold, which is forbidden (ḥarām) for a man to wear.
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.1/p.586): “It is permissible, without disapproval, to wear a ring of iron or lead. It is sunnah for a man to wear a silver ring on the little finger of his right or left hand. Wearing it on the right is better, and it is permissible on the left, and on both together.”
It is also stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.2/p.97): “It is lawful for him, that is, the man, and likewise the khunthā (person of indeterminate sex), indeed all the more so, to wear a ring of silver, by consensus (ijmāʿ), because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took a ring of silver, narrated by the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhārī and Muslim). Wearing it is in fact sunnah, whether on the right or the left, though the right is better according to the sound position, as stated in the chapter on clothing in al-Rawḍah… The Shāfiʿī jurists did not specify the permitted size of the ring, and they probably relied on custom (ʿurf), that is, the custom of that country and the habit of people of his standing in it. Whatever exceeds that is extravagance, as they said regarding a woman’s anklet. This is the reliable position (al-muʿtamad).” And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on a woman using contraception without her husband's knowledge if he is mistreating her?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is not permissible for a woman to use any means of delaying pregnancy without her husband's knowledge, consent, and mutual agreement. This is because having children is a sharʿī right belonging to both spouses equally in Islamic law. Imām al-Māwardī, may Allah have mercy upon him, stated: "The right to a child from a free woman is shared between them both" — meaning between the two spouses. [al-Ḥāwī al-Kabīr, 9/320]
It is therefore not permissible for either spouse to make a unilateral decision regarding the prevention of pregnancy without the consent of the other. We advise both spouses to discuss the matter with wisdom and mutual respect, so as to resolve any disagreement and arrive at a suitable solution that serves the interests of them both. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Who should pay the Zakah (obligatory charity) from the orphan`s money?

His/her guardian, and if the latter fails to do so, then the orphan himself/herself is obliged to pay the Zakah once he/she reaches puberty, and is capable of handling his/her own affairs. 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.