Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No. (265): "Ruling on Preventive Mastectomy"

Date Added : 15-11-2018

Resolution No. (265) (19/2018) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Preventive Mastectomy"

Date: (23/Safar/1439 AH), corresponding to (1/11/2018).

 

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.

On its twelfth session held on the above date, the Board reviewed the question sent to the electronic website of the General Iftaa` Department. It sated: Is it permissible for a woman to undergo preventive mastectomy, because she is at risk of getting cancer as indicated by the medical history of her family`s where both her sister and mother already have it? Is it permissible that she has her breast filled with silicon as a cosmetic procedure? It is worth pointing out that from a scientific point of view, the removal of the breast is purely preventive.

After deliberating, the Board arrived at the following decision:

The final say as regards the suitable medical treatment pertains to the trustworthy people of specialized medical experience. According to them, valid and reliable scientific research has proven that rise in the percentage of getting cancer is due to genetic factors; particularly when tests show that the mother has had that disease since an early age. When test results of genetic mutations show that cancer is likely to be passed to the next generation, preventive mastectomy is favored, as it takes precedence over waiting for cancer to attack since there is high risk that it will, and it is far more serious than the harms of mastectomy itself. In this case, we recommend that the questioner follows the advice of the people of specialty and undergoes the preventive mastectomy since the agreed upon rules of Sharia confirm that harm should be eliminated and when there are two evils, the lessor should be chosen.

However, if the fear of getting cancer is unjustified or it is a mere over- exaggerated psychological concern, then we don`t allow resorting to preventive mastectomy since Islam has honored the human body. The alternative lies in early detection and preventive treatment, as this is better. And Allah Knows Best. 

 

Chairperson of Iftaa` Board,

Grand Mufti of Jordan,

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh

Sheikh Abdulkareem AlKhasawneh/ Member

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/ Member

Dr. Ahmad Al-Hasanat/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Zou`bi/ Member

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it Sunnah to cook the meat of the 'aqīqah?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is Sunnah not to distribute the meat of the 'aqīqah raw. Rather, it is recommended to cook it with something sweet — such as raisins or honey — as a good omen and expression of hope for the sweetness of the newborn's character and conduct throughout their life. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the Islamic ruling on smearing the head of the newborn with the blood of the `Aqiqah?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is disliked (makrūh) to smear the head of the newborn with the blood of the 'aqīqah, as this is a practice that belongs to the customs of the pre-Islamic era of ignorance (Jāhiliyyah). What is Sunnah instead is to anoint the newborn's head with saffron or another pleasant fragrance. And Allah Almighty knows best.

Does vomiting during the day in Ramadan break the fast?

Intentional vomiting is one of the nullifiers of fasting; whoever vomits deliberately breaks their fast.
However, if vomiting occurs involuntarily, the fast remains valid as long as nothing returns to the body cavity (jauf). If anything is swallowed back, the fast is invalidated.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever is overcome by vomiting does not have to make up the fast, but whoever induces vomiting deliberately must make it up." [Narrated by Abu Dawood and At-Tirmidhi]

What is the ruling on praying seated due to severe obesity, given that I experience hardship in performing the prayer — especially when rising from the ground after sujūd to perform the next rak‘ah?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Standing, when one is able to do so, is a pillar of the prayer. However, whoever would experience severe, intolerable hardship, or fears harm to himself or to a limb due to obesity, or finds that standing causes him to lose his khushū‘ (humble focus and concentration) in prayer, then there is no objection to his praying seated on a chair or on the ground, performing rukū‘ (bowing) and sujūd (prostration) through gesture — provided that the gesture for sujūd is made lower than that for rukū‘. Whoever is able, at any point, to properly perform any one of these pillars, is obligated to perform it in full; for omitting it is a concession that applies only in cases of genuine inability. The Prophet ﷺ said: "When I command you to do something, do of it whatever you are able." (Related by al-Bukhārī). As the scholars of fiqh have established: what remains possible is not waived on account of what is difficult.
The criterion for determining genuine inability, as chosen by Imam al-Ḥaramayn al-Juwaynī (raḥimahullāh), is that the worshipper experiences hardship that causes him to lose his khushū‘.
As for voluntary (nafl) prayer, there is no objection to performing it while seated, even if one is able to stand. However, rukū‘ and sujūd must still be performed [in their proper physical form] by anyone who is able to do so. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.