Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(296): "Using the Building of an Old Mosque by Zakah Committee"

Date Added : 04-01-2021

Resolution No.(296) (16/2020) By The Board of Iftaa', Researches and Islamic Studies:

"Using the Building of an Old Mosque by Zakah Committee"

Date: (16th of Rabi'ul-Akhir, 1442 AH), corresponding to (2/12/2020 AD).

 

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

 

In its 13nth meeting held on the above date, the Board of Iftaa` reviewed the letter No.4/2/3/1122 sent from His Excellency the Minister of Awqaf, Holy Sites and Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh. It read as follows: What is the ruling of Sharia regarding the request made by Um Jozeh and 'Allan Zakah Committee to use the building of Um Jozeh Old Mosque, where prayers haven`t been offered for a very long time because the New Um Jozeh Mosque was established next to it? This Committee expressed its readiness to make total maintenance for the building and its annexes to serve as new headquarter for Um Jozeh and `Allan Zakah Committee of the Zakah Fund. What is the ruling of Sharia on the permissibility of using Um Jozeh and `Allan old Mosque for the afore-mentioned purposes?

  

After careful consideration, the Board has arrived at the following decision:

 

In principle, religious endowments are bound by the conditions of the endowers and should meet the purpose for which they have been established in the first place. However, at the same time, it is permissible for Um Jozeh and `Allan Committee to use the building of Um Jozeh and `Allan Old Mosque after running the necessary maintenance; provided that it is used as a mosque and kept officially registered as such. This is in order to enable the Waqf Administrator-Ministry of Awqaf, Holy Sites and Islamic Affairs-to benefit from it as a mosque in the future. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

 

 Chairperson of Iftaa` Board,

Grand Mufti of Jordan,

Dr. Abdulkareem al-Khasawneh

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh, Member

Prof. Mahmoud al-Sartawi, Member

Sheikh Sa`eid Al-Hijjawi, Member

Dr. Majed al-Darawsheh, Member

Dr. Ahmad al-Hasanat, Member {I have a reservation at this Resolution unless it is states that Um Jozeh and `Allan Old Mosque remains as a mosque}.

Judge Khalid Woraikat, Member 

Prof. Adam Nooh Al-Qhodaat/Member {I agree under the condition that prayers are established in this Mosque and its sanctity is preserved}.

Dr. Amjad Rasheed, Member {I reserve this Resolution without mentioning the statement "It takes the rules of a mosque and remains as such, and not merely that "It only remains as an endowed mosque. This is with the need to keep a place for performing prayers or teaching the Quran}.

Dr. Jamil Khatatbeh, Member

Dr. Mohammad Younis Al-Zou`bi, Member

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Summarized Fatawaa

Which takes precedence: the 'aqīqah or the uḍḥiyyah?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
The 'aqīqah is an act of worship through which a servant draws closer to Allah the Almighty in gratitude for the blessing of a newborn child. It is a confirmed Sunnah for those who are financially capable, and Allah does not burden any soul beyond what it can bear.
However, the uḍḥiyyah takes precedence, as it is a confirmed Sunnah established from the Prophet ﷺ through stronger and more numerous narrations — indeed, the Ḥanafī scholars hold it to be obligatory. Furthermore, its time is narrow and limited, expiring with the passing of the days of Eid, whereas the 'aqīqah may be delayed until one becomes financially capable of performing it.
And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling if a postpartum woman becomes pure before forty days; are acts of worship obligatory upon her, and is she permissible for her husband?

If the postpartum woman becomes definitely pure before forty days, she must perform the ritual bath and perform acts of worship as a pure woman does. What was prohibited for her also becomes permissible, so she becomes permissible for her husband after her bath. The minimum duration for postpartum bleeding is a moment (an instant), and its usual maximum is forty days. Reaching forty days is not a condition; rather, it is sufficient for the blood to stop or to see the white discharge (qassa bayda'). And Allah the Almighty knows best.

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 on giving Zakat al-Fitr in cash?

The default ruling is that Zakat al-Fitr should be given as the staple food of the land. In Jordan, for example, the staple food is wheat or rice, and the amount of Zakat al-Fitr is 2,500 grams per person. It is easy to give this amount of rice to the poor and needy, and this is the correct ruling according to all Islamic schools of thought.
However, Hanafi scholars have permitted giving Zakat al-Fitr as monetary value, considering it more beneficial for the poor and easier for the giver.