Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(46): "Forms of Dealing with Islamic Insurance Company"

Date Added : 02-11-2015

Resolution No.(46): "Forms of Dealing with Islamic Insurance Company"
Date: 2001 AD

The Board has received the following question: 

What is the ruling of Sharia on dealing with the Islamic Insurance Company?

Answer: All success is attributed to Allah.

Having reviewed the forms of transaction applied in the Islamic Insurance Company and its corporate charter, it became clear to the Board that these forms are based on the system of cooperative insurance, which is permissible in Sharia. However, the transaction of the above company is also based on reinsuring with private commercial reinsurance companies, which don`t adhere to the rules of Sharia. However, since Islamic insurance companies are obliged to reinsure with these companies to be able to operate in the insurance sector, then the situation will remain as such until Islamic reinsurance companies are established.

Consequently, reinsurance and, the case aforementioned, are considered a need tantamount to a necessity, and the Muslim scholars have stated that a need is that whose non-fulfillment leads to hardship, whether that need was public i.e. includes the whole nation or private i.e. includes a certain category such as the people of a country or a craft. Private here doesn`t refer to individual need. Therefore, it is permissible to deal with these reinsurance companies so long as there is a need for that, and within the above rules.

On its part, the Board recommends that Islamic insurance companies do their best to find international Islamic reinsurance companies so that the permissibility of dealing with the above commercial companies becomes based on a pressing necessity. The Board also demands the Legal Supervisory Department to make sure that reinsuring with commercial companies is resorted to when there is a certain need for doing so. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Iftaa` Board

Chairman of the Iftaa` Board, Chief Justice, Izz Al-Deen Al-Tamimi

 Dr. Mohammad Abu Yahia

Dr. Abdulsalam Al-Abbadi

   Dr. Yousef Gheezaan

    Dr. Umar Al-Ashkhaar

  Sheikh Saeid Hijjawi

        Sheikh Na`eim Mijahid   

Dr. Wasif Al- Bakhri

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible for someone who is unable to fast to pay the fidyah (ransom/compensation payment) to himself, due to his own poverty?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is not permissible, nor does it fulfill the obligation, for a sick person who is currently and permanently unable to fast to pay the fidyah (ransom/compensation payment) to himself, since it is a financial obligation owed by him, established as a standing debt upon him — much like any other debt he owes. If he were to pay it to himself, it would not thereby be discharged. So if he cannot find [anyone eligible to] pay it to, it remains a standing obligation upon him, and is not thereby waived. If Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, later grants him wealth, it becomes obligatory upon him to pay it out to the poor and needy.
Imam al-Khaṭīb ash-Shirbīnī (raḥimahullāh) said: "There is no difference in the obligation of the fidyah between the wealthy and the poor person; its benefit lies in its remaining established as a standing debt upon the poor person [until he is able to pay it] — and this is the more correct position (al-aṣaḥḥ), as indicated by the wording of ar-Rawḍah and its source text." [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol.2/P.174]
Accordingly: it is not permissible for a Muslim to pay the fidyah to himself while he remains poor. If the sick person is poor, he is not obligated to pay the fidyah immediately, and it remains a standing debt upon him until a time when he has sufficient means and wealth. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on I‘tikaf in Ramadan?

I‘tikaf is Sunnah in Ramadan, and it is even more emphasized in the last ten nights, in the hope of witnessing Laylat al-Qadr.

Is it permissible for a woman to lead other women in prayer?

Yes, it is permissible for a woman to lead other women in prayer. The most knowledgeable among them in the rulings of prayer should act as the imam. She should stand in the middle of the row, slightly ahead of the others.

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.