Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No. (263): "Ruling on Installing Solar Energy at the Charity Medical Center from the Treatment's Earnings"

Date Added : 05-09-2018

Resolution No. (263) by the Board of Iftaa', Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Installing Solar Energy at the Charity Medical Center from theTreatment's Earnings"

Date: ( 18/Thu Al-Hija/1439 AD) ,corresponding to (30/8/2018 AH)

On its eleventh session held on the above date, the Board reviewed the letter sent from his Excellency, the General Manager of the Zakah Fund, and it read as follow: 

As Your Grace knows, Wihdat Zakah Committee answers to the Zakah's Fund. Since this committee runs its own medical center, it desires to replace the electrical energy with solar energy against an overall cost of around (15682 JD). Moreover, this sum was taken from the medical center`s earnings (Not from the Zakah fund) and allocated for the aforementioned purpose. In addition, the medical center offers its services to all citizens at minimum costs and serves the poor through field workshops supervised by the Zakah committee. Could you inform us of the Sharia ruling as regards financing the aforementioned project from the medical center`s earnings.
After prolonged deliberations, the Board decided the following:
In principle, there is no harm in using the earnings of the medical center to finance the above project; especially since they are generated by the center, itself and this will save many future expenses and will, hopefully,be reflected on the quality of the offered services. However, this project has to be executed according to the regulations and instructions of the committees supervised by the Zakah Fund. And Allah Knows Best. 

Chairperson of Iftaa` Board,

Grand Mufti of Jordan,

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh

Sheikh Sa`eid Al-Hijjawi, Member       

Prof. Abdullah Al-Fawaaz/ Member

Dr. Muhammad Khair Al-Issa, Member

Dr. Majid Al-Darawsheh, Member

Prof. Adam Noah/ Member

Judge. Khaled Al-Wrikat

Dr. Ahmad Al-Hasanat, Member

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on someone who possesses cash reaching the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for zakah), and then uses part of it to purchase gold before the ḥawl (lunar year) is complete — must he pay zakāh on all of it [combined], or only on the remaining cash, excluding the gold?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Gold acquired for hoarding and saving is subject to zakāh once it reaches the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for Zakah) — when combined with any cash held — and once a full ḥawl (lunar year) has elapsed over it. The starting point for calculating this ḥawl is the ḥawl of the paper currency [used to purchase it], which had already reached the niṣāb and was then used to purchase the gold.
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.2/p.78): "As for someone who sells silver in exchange for gold, or vice versa, zakāh remains obligatory upon it, since he builds [the calculation of] its ḥawl upon [the ḥawl established at the time of] the original transaction [i.e., when the wealth was first acquired]."
This has already been explained in detail in Fatwa No. 2670 — please refer to it.
And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Is Zakat al-Fitr obligatory for an unborn child (fetus)?

Zakat al-Fitr is not obligatory for a fetus. However, if the child is born before sunset on the last day of Ramadan, then Zakat al-Fitr must be given on their behalf.

Is it permissible to agree with a butcher to purchase the meat of an animal after it has been slaughtered — for instance, by buying the meat of a sheep at a price determined by the weight of its meat following slaughter, at a fixed rate per kilogram? And what is the ruling if the animal is being purchased with the intention of it being an uḍḥiyyah (sacrificial offering)?

 
 
 
 
 

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is not permissible to sell livestock in the manner of pricing each kilogram of meat after slaughter at a fixed rate, because the meat within the animal prior to slaughter is unseen and unknown. This leads to jahālah (ignorance of the subject matter) and gharar (contractual uncertainty), both of which are among the invalidating factors in sales transactions.
However, it is permissible for the buyer to issue a promise to purchase the meat of the animal after slaughter at a specified price per kilogram, with the actual sale being concluded at the time of weighing the meat — at which point both the quantity of the goods and the total price become known. There is no Sharī'ah objection to this arrangement.
The jurists have stipulated that for a sale to be valid, both countervalues must be present and observable. Al-Khaṭīb al-Shirbīnī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states:
"It is valid to sell a heap of grain whose total measure is unknown to both contracting parties at a rate of one sā' per dirham. This sale is valid because the subject of sale is present and observable, and ignorance of the total price is not harmful since it is known in detail — and uncertainty is thereby lifted."— [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol.2/P.355]
As for the uḍḥiyyah, the 'aqīqah, and vowed blood sacrifices (al-dam al-mandhūr) — full ownership of the animal must be established prior to slaughter. It is not valid for such animals to be slaughtered while still in the ownership of the butcher. Rather, the animal must be purchased alive and then slaughtered with the intention of uḍḥiyyah or the like. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What does (Whoever fasts Ramadan with faith and seeking reward) mean?

This phrase is part of a hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Whoever fasts Ramadan with faith and seeks his reward from Allah, their past sins will be forgiven." [Agreed upon]
The meaning is:
● They fast Ramadan with firm belief that Allah has made it obligatory.
● They fast out of obedience to Allah, knowing they will meet Him.
● They hope for reward from Allah and fast purely out of their faith while seeking His reward.