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Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(285): "Sighting the Crescent of Ramadan for the Hijri Year 1441"

Date Added : 28-05-2020

Resolution No.(285)(5/2020), By The Board of Iftaa', Researches and Islamic Studies:

"Sighting the Crescent of Ramadan for the Hijri Year 1441"

Date: (29/ Sha`ban/1441 AH), corresponding to (23/4/2020 AD).

 

 All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May his peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

On its fourth session held on the above date, the Board reviewed sighting the crescent of Ramadan for this year (1441AH) based on the astronomical calculations conducted by the Crescents Committee of the General Iftaa` Department.After deliberating this issue, the Board decided the following:In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Allah, The Almighty, Says (What means): "Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting" {Al-Baqarah/185}. He, Exalted, also Says (What means): "They ask thee concerning the New Moons. Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) men, and for Pilgrimage"{Al-Baqarah/189}. Moreover, the Prophet (PBUH) says: "Observe fast on sighting it (the new moon) and break it on sighting it." {Related by Bukhari}.

In compliance with the texts of Sharia, the Iftaa` Board accompanied by the Chief Justice, the Minister of Awqaf, a number of eminent scholars, and experts of astronomy convened on Thursday evening (29th of Sha`baan, 1441 AH, corresponding to 23/4/2020AD) to sight the crescent of Ramadan (the new moon).

Based on the findings of the Crescent Sighting Committee of the General Iftaa` Department and other specialized authorities, it was ascertained to the Board that tomorrow, Friday (24/ 4/2020), will be the first day of the holy month of Ramadan for the Hijri year 1441.

Accordingly, the Board is pleased to extend the warmest of congratulations to His Majesty King Abdullah the second Ibn Al-Hussein, His crown Prince, and the Hashemite Family on this blessed occasion. May Allah protect His Majesty and grant Him good health. The Board also extends its congratulations to the people of Jordan as well as the Arab and Muslim Nation. It prays that Allah makes it a month of peace, security, goodness, piety and righteousness. And may Allah accept our fast and night prayers. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best. 

 

Chairperson of Iftaa` Board,

Grand Mufti of Jordan,

Dr. Abdulkareem al-Khasawneh

Dr. Mohammad al-khalayleh

Dr. Mahmoud al-Sartawi, Member

Sheikh Sa`eid Al-Hijjawi, Member

Judge Khalid Woraikat, Member

Dr. Majed al-Darawsheh, Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Zou`bi/ Member

Prof. Adam Nooh Al-Qhodaat/Member

Dr. Amjad Rasheed/Member

Dr. Jamil Khatatbeh/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.

Does using a respiratory device (oxygen) affect the validity of fasting?

Using an oxygen device does not affect the validity of fasting because oxygen is a gas with no physical substance.
However, if medicinal substances with physical particles are added to the oxygen, its use would break the fast, as it enters the body cavity through a natural passage.

What is considered a woman`s Awrah (parts of the body that must be concealed during prayer) while offering prayer, and is her foot part of it?

A woman`s whole body is considered an Awrah while offering prayer except the hands and the face. Thus, her foot is an Awrah as well. And Allah Knows Best.

What is the ruling on selling sacrificial animals (udhiyah) described with specific attributes and authorizing an agent to slaughter them?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Selling sacrificial animals (udhiyah) that are described with specific attributes is permissible. This falls under the category of a salam sale (forward sale) if conducted using the terminology of salam, and under the category of a regular sale if not using the terminology of salam.
 
As for authorizing the seller to slaughter the sacrificial animal, the basic principle is that it is permissible, because the agent (wakil) stands in the place of the principal (muwakkil) in achieving his objective. This is a contract that the principal (the buyer) is entitled to perform himself, so authorizing another (the seller) to do so on his behalf is valid.
 
However, it is a condition for authorization to slaughter that the intention (niyyah) is present either at the time of slaughter or at the time of handing over the sacrificial animal to the agent. The basic principle is that the sacrificial animal must be specifically designated, as it is an act of worship. It is not required to designate it at the time of slaughter; rather, it is valid to do so before that.
 
It is permissible for the principal either to delegate the intention to the agent or to formulate it himself when authorizing the agent to slaughter. However, the sacrificial animal must be designated, even if at the time of slaughter, by the agent.
 
It is obligatory to designate the sacrificial animals so that each person offering a sacrifice receives his own specific animal. Therefore, charitable organizations and companies must take this into consideration and establish a specific mechanism that ensures no mixing of sacrificial animals occurs, so that each person offering a sacrifice receives his own designated animal. And Allah Almighty knows best.

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