Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No. (270): "Amendments to Zakat Draft Law"

Date Added : 23-01-2019

Resolution No. (270) (1/2019) by the Council of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Amendments to Zakat Draft Law"

Date: (4/Jumādā al-Awwal/1440H), corresponding to (10/1/2019)

 

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

During its session held on the above date, the Council reviewed the letter: (D T 1/1/Q/37), ( 27/12/2018) - sent from His Excellency Dr.Nofan Ajarmeh, Director of Legislation and Opinion Bureau. It stated: "In reference to the letter - (Z1/35739), (20/12/2018)-of His Excellency the Prime Minister about the Zakat Draft Law/2018, I have sent the aforementioned Law to Your Grace in the form agreed on by the Ministerial Legal Committee. Kindly, discuss it with the Iftaa` Council to deliver the ruling of Sharia on it in order to pave the ground for the continuation of the enactment procedures duly.

After deliberating, the Council decided the following:

First: Zakat is the third pillar of Islam. It was decreed in the noble Quran to enhance social solidarity and compassion and  achieve social justice. Therefore, the Iftaa` Council highly values every initiative in support of this obligation and finding suitable ways to put it into effect to deliver its pioneering role in the Muslim society. Allah, The Almighty, Has Defined the categories of people entitled to receive Zakat in Surat [At-Taubah (9)], verse (60): "The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarer; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is Knower, Wise."

Second: Out of keenness on this obligation (Zakat), its independence, and its Sharia conditions, the Council, after having reviewed the above-mentioned draft law, is of the view that the Zakat foundation must divide the Zakat in accordance with the above verse. However, the Council objects to  Article (B/9), which stated: "The Zakat Foundation shall abide by transferring the collected sums in favor of the social security package endorsed in the General Budget Law to preserve the independence of the Zakat sums due to their special nature, Zakat being an act of worship as well as an obligation. Moreover, these sums shouldn`t be listed within the General Budget Law.

Third: The Council is of the view that Article (10/H) confirms the right to "Conditioned Zakat' to the giver, and this contradicts with Article (9/B) since the condition made by the giver of Zakat must be met within the framework of the Sharia conditions in this regard, even if it doesn`t agree with the social security package, which wasn`t clearly defined in the draft law. In addition, the right to "Conditioned Zakat" could be used as a means of not giving Zakat.

Fourth: In Article (3/A), the foundation was named "General Foundation of Zakat". The Council recommends adding the word "Sadaqat."Therefore, it should become "General Foundation of Zakat and Sadaqat."

Fifth: The Council suggests that the Law stipulates including the Minister of Awqaf or his representative and the representatives of religious organizations as members of the Board of Trustees.

Sixth: Adding a paragraph to Article (8) stipulating the inclusion of "Bequests" as one of the Foundation`s financial resources.

Seventh: Adding the word (the poor) to paragraph three and five of Article (9), and deleting the word "Refugees" from the same Article.

Eighth: The council deems necessary that the Foundation`s budget must be clearly refelected as part of the general budget.

Ninth: Changing ((Fatwa and Sharia-Supervisory Board)) to ((Sharia-Supervisory Board)).

Ten: The Council objects to Article (16), which stipulates that the foundation`s board of trustees endorses the resolution of the Sharia-Supervisory Board since, on the contrary, the latter`s resolution must be binding to the board. 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-Worikat/ Member 

Dr. Ahmad Al-Hasanat/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Zou`bi/ Member

Dr. Rashaad Al-Khilaani

 

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible for a woman to shake hands with her brother-in-law?

It is forbidden for the woman to shake hands with her brother-in-law because he isn`t a Mahram (unmarriageable) of hers.

Does having a wet dream during the day in Ramadan break the fast?

Having a wet dream during the day in Ramadan does not invalidate the fast. However, one must perform ghusl (ritual purification) to ensure they do not miss their prayers.

What is the ruling on forgiving a tenant next month's rent, with the intention of counting it toward zakāh al-māl?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It does not fulfill the obligation to count the rent owed on a house, or a portion of it, in lieu of zakāh. Rather, it is necessary to first transfer ownership of the zakāh amount to the poor person directly; only afterward may he be asked to pay the rent [from that money].
It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik (p. 112): "If someone gives [money] to a poor person, stipulating that the recipient return it to him in payment of a debt owed to him, or says, 'I am making what you owe me into zakāh, so take it [as such]' — this is not valid. But if he gives it to him with the [unstated] intention that the recipient will use it to repay him, or says, 'Repay what you owe me, so that I may [then separately] give it to you as zakāh,' or the debtor himself says, 'Give it to me, so that I may [then] repay you with it' — this is valid, and there is no binding obligation for the recipient to actually fulfill this [informal understanding]."
We would also remind [the reader] of the ḥadīth of the Prophet ﷺ: "The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim: he does not wrong him, nor does he abandon him [to harm]. Whoever attends to the needs of his brother, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will attend to his needs. Whoever relieves a Muslim of a hardship, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will relieve him of one of the hardships of the Day of Resurrection. And whoever conceals [the faults of] a Muslim, Allah will conceal him on the Day of Resurrection." (Agreed upon). And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

My brother works in a conventional bank and gave me one of the gifts distributed to bank employees — what is the ruling on accepting it?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
There is no objection to accepting such gifts, because the physical gift itself does not carry any inherent prohibition — unlike stolen property. Sin does not transfer or extend to the one who receives the gift, for Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "And no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another." [Al-Anʿām/164]
The evidence for this is that the Prophet ﷺ himself ate from the food of the Jews, conducted transactions with them, and purchased from them — and it is well known that their wealth was intermingled with ribā. Similarly, the wealth of conventional ribā-based banks is a mixture of the lawful and the unlawful.
Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "It is not forbidden to transact with one whose wealth is predominantly unlawful, nor to eat from it — as al-Nawawī affirmed in al-Majmūʿ." [Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj, Vol. 9/P.389] And Allah the Almighty knows best.