Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No. (314): "Ruling on Giving Zakah to Help Cover Treatment Expenses for the Poor"

Date Added : 13-07-2022

Resolution No.(314)By The Board of Iftaa', Researches and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Giving Zakah to Help Cover Treatment Expenses for the Poor"

Date (27 of Thilgidah, 1443 AH), corresponding to (27/6/2022 AD).

 

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.

In its ninth meeting held on the above date, the Board of Iftaa` reviewed the question about the ruling of Sharia on giving Zakah to help cover the treatment expenses for the poor and needy as well as their health and living expenses?

 

After thorough deliberations, the Board decided what follows:

 

Assisting the poor and needy, providing for their different needs, and relieving them from hardships are amongst the most beloved acts to Almighty Allah and the highest purposes of Sharia. This proves that the religion of Islam isn`t confined to the relationship between the servant and his/her Lord but also extends to social solidarity mercy to fellow humans. Almighty Allah Says {What means}: "So give what is due to kindred, the needy, and the wayfarer. That is best for those who seek the Countenance, of God, and it is they who will prosper." {Ar-Rum, 38}. Moreover, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “If anyone relieves a Muslim believer from one of the hardships of this worldly life, Allah will relieve him of one of the hardships of the Day of Resurrection. If anyone makes it easy for the one who is indebted to him (while finding it difficult to repay), Allah Will Make it easy for him in this worldly life and in the Hereafter, and if anyone conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah Will Conceal his faults in this world and in the Hereafter. Allah Helps His slave as long as he helps his brother.” {Related by Muslim}.

 

Consequently, the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies recommends that the solvent help the poor, needy, and the afflicted through giving both voluntary and obligatory charities to the eligible recipients, which is embodied in covering expenses of surgeries, artificial organs, medications, rehabilitation and the like. This is because there is no reward for kindness except kindness itself. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.

 

 

 

Grand Mufti of Jordan, Sheikh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh

Sheikh Sa`eid Hijjawi/ Member

Prof. Amjad Rasheed/ Member

Prof. Adam Nooh Al-Qhodah/ Member

Dr.Majid Darawsheh/ Member

Dr. Jameel Khatatbeh/ Member

Dr. Ahmad Al-Hasanat/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Younes al-Zou`bi/ Member

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What should a person who was favored from Allah with a newborn, but couldn`t afford an Aqeeqah, do?

Aqeeqah (the sheep slaughtered on the seventh day from the child`s birth) is a desirable Sunnah for the financially able since Allah, The Exalted, charges not a soul beyond its capacity. Therefore, if the father couldn`t afford the Aqeeqah before the end of his wife`s confinement, then it isn`t due on him, and if he was able to afford it later on, then it is permissible, but if he didn`t until the child reached puberty, the latter can offer the Aqeeqah himself.

Is it permissible to consume the meat of a sacrifice (Dhabihah) offered as an act of devotion to Allah, seeking His protection for my family?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is permissible to eat from this sacrifice, and the reward [for it] is according to what is given to the poor. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

What is the ruling on one who vowed not to speak to a certain person, then forgot his vow and spoke to him?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
Whoever swears an oath or makes a vow to abstain from something has a choice: if he wishes, he may keep to his vow, or if he wishes, he may offer the expiation of an oath (kaffārat yamīn). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The expiation for a vow is the expiation for an oath.” Narrated by Muslim. This type of vow is called a nadhr al-lajāj (a vow made in stubbornness or anger).
If a person makes a vow and then forgets it, nothing is due from him, for forgetfulness is among the excuses that lift legal responsibility (taklīf) from a Muslim. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “Actions are judged only by intentions, and every person will have only what he intended.” [Narrated by al-Bukhārī]. There is no intention for the one who forgets or errs. It is also based on the report: “Indeed, Allah has pardoned for my Ummah mistakes, forgetfulness, and what they are compelled to do.” Narrated by Ibn Mājah and others, and graded authentic by Ibn Ḥibbān and al-Ḥākim.
It is stated in ʿUmdat al-Sālik (p. 243), one of the books of the Shāfiʿī school: “Whoever swears, [for example], ‘I will not enter the house,’ and then enters it forgetfully, ignorantly, under compulsion, or being carried, he does not break his oath.” And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on someone who possesses cash reaching the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for zakah), and then uses part of it to purchase gold before the ḥawl (lunar year) is complete — must he pay zakāh on all of it [combined], or only on the remaining cash, excluding the gold?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Gold acquired for hoarding and saving is subject to zakāh once it reaches the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for Zakah) — when combined with any cash held — and once a full ḥawl (lunar year) has elapsed over it. The starting point for calculating this ḥawl is the ḥawl of the paper currency [used to purchase it], which had already reached the niṣāb and was then used to purchase the gold.
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.2/p.78): "As for someone who sells silver in exchange for gold, or vice versa, zakāh remains obligatory upon it, since he builds [the calculation of] its ḥawl upon [the ḥawl established at the time of] the original transaction [i.e., when the wealth was first acquired]."
This has already been explained in detail in Fatwa No. 2670 — please refer to it.
And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.