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Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(10): "Children are Considered Muslims Following any of their Parents"

Date Added : 04-03-2021

Resolution No.(10) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:
“Children are Considered Muslims Following any of their Parents“           
Date: 8/11/1408 AH, 22/6/1988 AD

Question: What is the ruling of Sharia on the following? 

Mr. (X) obtained a family register in 1979 on basis of being a Christian. Later on, he produced a certificate issued by a Sharia court indicating that he had embraced Islam in 1971. On September 16, 1987, he requested changing his religion from Christianity into Islam in both: the civil register and the family register, based on the above certificate.

Based on the aforementioned certificate, the registrar changed Mr. (X`s) religion from Christianity into Islam, and the latter was issued a new family register on basis of being a Muslim.

In 1974, Mr. (X) married Mrs. (O) at a Catholic church. Later on, his children (A,B,C), who are all above eighteen, came to the registrar and requested keeping their religion as Christians in the civil register, family register and  identification cards.

What is the view of the Iftaa` Board on them keeping their religion as Christians although they were minors when their father embraced Islam in 1974?

Answer: All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds.

The Board is of the view that the children mentioned in the above question are considered Muslims because they were minors when their father embraced Islam. They should have been registered as Muslims by the concerned government departments after their father embraced Islam as stipulated by the rulings of Sharia and the effective Jordanian laws. This is because a minor follows the religion of his/her father as stated by the four Islamic schools of thought.

As regards their request to keep their Christian religion in official documents after having reached the age of puberty, this matter isn`t permissible according to the rulings of Sharia since a person who changes his/her religion from Islam into any other religion is considered an apostate and his/her new religion isn`t recognized. And Allah Knows Best.

 

The Board of Iftaa`
Chairman of the Board, Chief Justice, Mohammad Mohailan
The Grand Mufti of Jordan, Vice Chairman of the Iftaa` Board: Izz al-Deen al-Tamimi
         Dr. Nooh al-Qodat           

    Dr.Ibrahim al-Keelani
        Dr. Abdulfatah Amr       
             Dr. Abdulhalim Ar-Ramahi
           Dr. Mostafa Az-Zarqa     
           Dr. Mahmood al-Sartawi
                Dr. Mahmood al-Reffai       
               Dr. Abdulssalam al-Abbadi
         Dr. Yaseen Daraddkeh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on fasting?

Fasting in Ramadan is an individual obligation (Fard ‘Ayn) upon every mature, sane Muslim who is capable of fasting.
Fasting can also be recommended (Mustahabb), such as voluntary fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, fasting on the Day of Arafah for those not performing Hajj, and fasting on Ashura.
Fasting can be prohibited (Haram), such as fasting on the two Eid days, the Day of Doubt (Yawm al-Shakk), and the Days of Tashreeq.
Some types of fasting are disliked (Makruh), such as singling out Friday or Saturday for fasting without a specific reason and fasting on the Day of Arafah for a pilgrim.

I broke my oath and am now obligated to pay the expiation for a broken oath (kaffārat al-yamīn). Would it be valid to fulfill this by inviting the poor and needy to a meal for them to eat from?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The expiation for a broken oath (kaffārat al-yamīn) is given to the poor (fuqarā') and needy (masākīn), and it must be given in the form of ownership (tamlīk) transferred to them of the required amount — namely, one mudd of the staple food of the locality, or its equivalent monetary value. It isn`t valid to invite the poor or needy to a meal prepared for them to eat from, as this does not constitute "ownership" (tamlīk) but merely "permission to partake" (ibāḥah).
Imam al-Shirbīnī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "What is intended is that ownership be transferred to them; therefore, providing them with lunch or dinner [as a meal to eat from] isn`t valid." [Summarized from Mughnī al-Muhtāj,Vol. 5/P.50]. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What should a person do if they suffer from an incurable illness that prevents them from fasting?

A person who has an illness that is not expected to be cured and prevents them from fasting must feed a needy person one mudd (600 grams) of food (such as wheat or rice) for each missed day instead of fasting.
Allah Almighty says {what means}: "and [in such cases] it is incumbent upon those who can afford it to make sacrifice by feeding a needy person." [Al-Baqarah/184].

What is the wisdom behind the legislation of fasting?

Fasting is a divine school from which the believer learns much and trains in virtues that may be needed in life. Among these virtues is patience, as it is the month of patience. Fasting also teaches honesty and consciousness of Allah in both private and public, for there is no observer over the fasting person in abstaining from lawful pleasures except Allah alone.
Fasting strengthens willpower, sharpens determination, and nurtures mercy and compassion among the servants of Allah. It is a struggle against the self, a restraint of desires, a purification of the soul, and a cultivation of goodness.
The Prophetﷺ said: "Allah, the Almighty, said: ‘Every deed of the son of Adam is for him, except for fasting; it is for Me, and I shall reward for it. Fasting is a shield. So when one of you is fasting on a day, let him not engage in obscene speech or raise his voice in anger. If someone insults him or fights him, let him say: I am a fasting person. By Him in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the breath of the fasting person is more pleasant to Allah than the fragrance of musk.’" [Bukhari and Muslim]
 

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