Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(277): "Ruling on Exploiting Endowed Land"

Date Added : 22-05-2019

Resolution No.(277)(11/2019), By The Board of Iftaa', Researches and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Exploiting Endowed Land"

Date: (11/ Ramadan/1440 AH), corresponding to (16/5/2019 AD).

 

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds.

On its sixth session held on the above date, the Board reviewed the letter (4/2/3/2905) of His Excellency Minister of Awqaf, Dr. Abulbasal. It states that the endowed land No.(45) of Um Attieh area (59) in Salt city, estimated at (320 Meters), was donated in 2000 for the purpose of building a mosque. However, building the mosque on the above land became impossible because it violates the effective laws and regulations of constructing mosques, the endowed land itself is small and three mosques were built in the same area. Knowing that the above land is commercial, what is the ruling of Sharia on investing it in favor of endowment programs by building a small Musala on part of it instead of a mosque?

After deliberating, the Board arrived at the following decision:

According to scholars, it is allowed for the endowment (Waqf) administrator to take the necessary steps to achieve the interest expected from the Waqf and preserve its benefits. Ibn Qhodamah says: "If the Waqf was damaged and its benefits were stopped….for example, a mosque that people have deserted or was too small and impossible to expand, or was expanded to the extent that it became impossible to maintain save by selling part of it. In this case, it is permissible to sell part of it to maintain the rest." Moreover, if it wasn`t possible to benefit from it at all, then selling it is permissible. In a narration by Abi Dawoud, Ahmad said: "If there were two valuable pieces of wood in a mosque, then it is permissible to sell them in order to maintain the mosque." {Al-Moghni, vol.6/pp.28}.

In conclusion, it is permissible to invest the above land to achieve the purpose for which it was endowed without any stoppage or delay. This is provided that the revenue is spent in favor of the mosque itself since the stipulation of the endower has the same binding force as the text of Sharia. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.

 

Chairperson of Iftaa` Board,

Grand Mufti of Jordan,

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh

Sheikh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh, Member

Dr. Ahmad Al-Hasanat, Member

Sheikh Sa`eid Al-Hijjawi, Member

Judge Khalid Woraikat, Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Zou`bi/ Member

Prof. Adam Nooh Al-Qhodaat/Member

Prof. Abdullah al-Fawaaz/Member

Dr Mohammad Khair al-Esa/Member

Dr. Rashaad Al-Kelaani/Member

 

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on swearing an oath by the Prophet ﷺ, and does such an oath take effect according to Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, requiring expiation upon its breach?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Swearing an oath by a created being is disliked (makrūh) in our Shāfiʿī school. Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Swearing by a created being is disliked — such as swearing by the Prophet, the Kaʿbah, Jibrīl, the Companions, or the Prophet's family. Al-Shāfiʿī, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: 'I fear that swearing by other than Allah the Almighty may constitute an act of disobedience.' The scholars of the school explained this to mean: that is, something forbidden and sinful — indicating that he had some hesitation in the matter. Al-Imām stated: the established position of the school is that it is categorically not forbidden, but rather disliked. Furthermore, whoever swears by a created being, his oath does not take effect and no expiation (kaffārah) is required if he breaks it." [Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn wa ʿUmdat al-Muftīn, Vol. 11/P.6]
According to the Ḥanbalī school, however, expiation becomes obligatory upon one who swears by our master the Prophet ﷺ and then breaks his oath. Imām al-Bahūtī al-Ḥanbalī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "No expiation is required for swearing by other than Allah the Almighty, even if the oath is broken — because expiation was made obligatory for swearing by Allah and His attributes, out of reverence for His names, and nothing else is equal to Him in this regard... except in the case of swearing by our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, for expiation becomes obligatory when one swears by him and then breaks the oath. This was explicitly stated in the narration of Abū Ṭālib, because he is one of the two conditions of the two testimonies of faith by which a disbeliever becomes a Muslim. Ibn ʿAqīl held the view that swearing by any of the other prophets, peace and blessings be upon them all, carries the same ruling." [Sharḥ Muntahā al-Irādāt, Vol. 3/P.441]. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling of islamic law on statutory (legal) interest awarded by a court?
 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is permissible for a person in whose favor a judge has awarded statutory (legal) interest to deduct the actual litigation costs incurred in filing and prosecuting the lawsuit from these interest funds.
 
Any remaining balance beyond those actual expenses must be returned to the party upon whom the payment was imposed, provided that party is a specific individual. If, however, the paying party is a public entity or state institution, the remaining amount should be spent on the general public interests of Muslims—such as schools, mosques, roads, and similar public utilities shared by the community—or given in charity (Sadaqah) to the poor and needy. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on kidney dialysis while fasting in Ramadan?

Kidney dialysis breaks the fast because the dialysis fluid is nutritive, as confirmed by medical experts. Additionally, it involves the entry of substances into the body cavity (jauf).
A patient undergoing dialysis must make up for that day after Ramadan. If they are unable to do so, they must pay fidyah by feeding one needy person for each day they missed.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
There is no objection to participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers, provided that the buyer's intention in purchasing is not merely to enter the competition without any need for what is bought — rather, the purchase must be genuinely intended for the item itself, and one must not pay more than the item's fair market price. This is because paying an amount above the market price would effectively be paying a fee to enter the prize draw, which would render it a form of gambling (qimār).
These prizes are, in essence, gifts that businesses offer through a random drawing (qur'ah) to those who purchase from them, as a means of encouraging sales, without the customer bearing any additional monetary cost for participation. So long as the aforementioned conditions are met, there is no objection to benefiting from the prize offered by the store, as it is considered a lawful prize from the viewpoint of Islamic Law.
It is stated in the resolutions of the "Jordanian Iftaa' Board" (Resolution No. 47), in the context of outlining the conditions for permissible prizes: "The price of the ticket [or item purchased] for the sake of the prize must not exceed its original price, so that there is no payment of money in exchange for participation in the draw." And Allah, the Most High, knows best.