Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(280) (14/ 2019): "Sighting the Crescent Moon of the Month of Shawwal"

Date Added : 08-06-2020

Resolution No.(280) (14/ 2019) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies: "Sighting the Crescent Moon of the Month of Shawwal"

Date:(29/Ramadan/1440 H), corresponding to (3/6/2019).

 

At its seventh meeting held on the above date, the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies reviewed sighting the crescent of Shawwal for this year (1440) based on the astronomical calculations conducted by the Crescents Committee of the General Iftaa` Department.

After deliberating, the Board decided the following:

 

"In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"

Almighty Allah Said: " A token unto them is night. We strip it of the day, and lo! they are in darkness. And a Sign for them is the Night: We withdraw therefrom the Day, and behold they are plunged in darkness; And the sun runs his course for a period determined for him: that is the decree of (Him), the Exalted in Might, the All-Knowing. And the Moon,- We have measured for her mansions (to traverse) till she returns like the old (and withered) lower part of a date-stalk. is not permitted to the Sun to catch up the Moon, nor can the Night outstrip the Day: Each (just) swims along in (its own) orbit (according to Law)." {Ya-Sin, 37-40}.

He, The Exalted, also Said: "(He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful." {Al-Baqarah, 185}. In addition, the Prophet said: "Observe Saum (fast) on sighting the crescent and terminate it on sighting it (the new moon), but if the sky is cloudy before you, then complete the number (thirty days) of the month." {Related by Bukhari}.

In compliance with Sharia texts, the Iftaa` Board, accompanied by the Chief Justice, the Minister of Awqaf, a number of eminent scholars of Sharia, in addition to experts of astronomy, have convened to sight the crescent moon of the month of Shawwal for the Hijri year (1440).

Based on the findingsof the Crescent Sighting Committee and the concerned authorities, which were harmonious with the astronomical calculations, it was ascertained to the Board that tomorrow, Friday, will be the first of Shawwal for this year: (1440 AH), corresponding to (5/6/2019 AD), and so it is the first day of the Eid of Fitr.

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 and the Arab and Muslim Nation. It asks Allah to Accept our fast and night prayers and shower our beloved Jordan as well as the Muslim world with peace, security, stability and blessings. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

 

 

Chairman of Iftaa` Board,
Grand Mufti of Jordan,
Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh
Prof. Abdullah Al-Fawaz, Member
Dr. Majid Darawsheh, Member
Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-Esa, Member
Sheikh Sa`eid Al-Hijjawi, Member
Dr. Ahmad Al-Hasanat, Member
Judge Khalid Woraikat, Member
Dr. Mohammad Al-Zo`bi, Member

Prof. Adam Nooh al-Qhodat

Dr. Rashaad al-Kilaani

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is required of one who doubts the number of rakʿāt during prayer?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
If a person doubts the number of rakʿāt he has prayed, he should build upon the lesser number, as that is what he is certain of. He should then perform the prostration of forgetfulness (sujūd al-sahw) before the final salām at the end of the prayer. ʿAṭāʾ ibn Yasār narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "When any one of you is in doubt during his prayer and does not know whether he has prayed three rakʿāt or four, let him pray one more rakʿah and then perform two prostrations while seated before the salām. If the rakʿah he prayed was a fifth, these two prostrations will make it even; and if it was the fourth, then the two prostrations serve as a humiliation for the devil." (Reported by Abū Dāwūd.)
It is stated in al-Muqaddimah al-Ḥaḍramiyyah — one of the foundational texts of the Shāfiʿī school: "If one doubts whether he has prayed three rakʿāt or four, he is obliged to build upon the lesser number."
However, if such doubt recurs repeatedly and reaches the level of obsessive whispering (waswasah), he should not build upon the lesser number in that case — rather, he should build upon the greater number. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible for the young woman to turn the suitor down if she had no feelings for him?

Yes, it is permissible for her to do so.

I work overtime after regular working hours and may become occupied with my phone or the work computer for personal matters — what is the ruling on this?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is obligatory upon an employee to abide by the instructions and regulations governing overtime hours, and equally obligatory to uphold honesty and avoid all forms of deception and dishonesty. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "O you who have believed, be mindful of Allah and be with the truthful." [Al-Tawbah/ 119]
Whoever is assigned to work overtime must be present at his workplace — even if he has no specific tasks to carry out at that time. In such a case, he should strive as best he can to spend that time in a manner that benefits the institution he works for. If there is genuinely no work for him to do, there is no objection to occupying his time with something beneficial — such as reciting the Holy Qurʾān, reading, or listening to educational lessons — provided he has already completed all the responsibilities assigned to him.
If, however, he does have work to complete, he must spend that time fulfilling it. He may attend to phone calls or other personal matters to the extent that is customarily acceptable, as long as this does not result in delaying or postponing his work. If he delays his work on account of personal preoccupations, the wages he received for that wasted time are not lawfully his to keep, and he is obliged to return the equivalent amount to the institution by whatever means available to him. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is Zakah (obligatory charity) due on land intended for selling?

Yes, lands intended for trade are valued, and Zakah is paid according to their estimated value after a lunar year had lapsed, but if the owner didn`t pay the due Zakah, then he should do so after selling them.