Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No. (201): "Ruling on Medical Use of Cadavers

Date Added : 05-10-2015

Resolution No. (201) (11/2014) by the of Board of Iftaa', Researches and Islamic Studies: 

"Ruling on Medical Use of Cadavers"

Date: (19 Ramadan, 1435 AH), corresponding to (17/7/2014 AD).

 

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

The Board of Ifta`a and Islamic Studies, in its 9th session held on Thursday (19 Ramadan,1435AH) corresponding to (17/7/2014AD), reviewed the formal letter of His Excellency the Premier regarding giving permission to the University of Jordan to bring in four parts of frozen cadavers through the Queen Alia International Airport in order to use them for educational purposes at the morgue of the Faculty of Medicine.

After deliberation and careful study, the Board has decided what follows:

There is a consensus amongst Muslim scholars regarding the inviolability of a human being whether alive or dead, and the impermissibility of aggressing him/her. Allah, The Almighty, Says (What means): “We have honored the sons of Adam.” {Al-Isra/70}. In addition, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said: “Breaking the bone of the dead is the same as breaking the bone of the living" {Narrated by Abu Dawood}.

Securing  the necessary interests permits making use of these parts for medical purposes since the rules of Sharia call for getting the benefits while avoiding the shortcomings. Medical sciences and treatments are some of the most important means of acquiring safety, and learning medicine is a common obligation on the Muslim Ummah and doing so nowadays requires learning anatomy and other medical branches. Moreover, there is no doubt that parrying the harm from inflicting a living person is more important than parrying the harm from a dead person when both benefits are conflicting. Accordingly, resolutions and Fatwas were issued by the Fiqh assemblies allowing the use of dead bodies or parts of them for educational purposes. Resolution(10/1) by The Islamic Fiqh Assembly in Mecca stresses the inviolability of the dead and the impermissibility of deforming his/her corpse since the rights of a Muslim must not be violated regardless of whether he is alive or dead.

Based on the aforementioned, there is no harm in allowing the university of Jordan to bring parts of corpses for educational purposes. And Allah Knows Best.

 

The Grand Mufti of Joradan , Sheikh Abdul Karim Al-Khasawneh

Dr. Hayel Abdel Hafiz / Member                                                     Prof.   Abdunassir Abu Al-Bassal / Member

Sheikh Sa'id Hijjawi / Member

 Dr. Yahya Al-Btoush / Member

 Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-Issa / Member

Prof. Mohammad Al-Qhidah

Dr. Mohammed Al-Khalayleh/Member

Dr. Wasif Al-Bakri / Member  (Disagrees with reservation)              Dr. Mohamed Al Zoubi, Member

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

There are olive trees within the precincts of the mosque, and my father covers the costs of electricity, water, and other needs of the mosque. Is it permissible for him to take the olive harvest?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
If trees and fruit-bearing crops are planted in a mosque for the mosque itself, they may only be spent on the mosque’s interests. If they were planted for the public way (musabbalah), that is, for the general public, then any Muslim who enters the mosque may eat from them. If the planter’s intention is unknown, they are treated like those dedicated for public use, wherever custom has so run.
It is stated in Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj (Vol.6/p.295): “The fruit of a tree planted for the mosque within it is not freely permitted without compensation. Rather, the imam spends its equivalent value on the mosque’s interests. The tree left its planter’s ownership here without any verbal declaration because of the evident indication. The case of planting it for the mosque excludes planting it as musabbalah, in which case eating from it without compensation is permissible, and likewise if his intention is unknown, where custom has so run. The tree may be uprooted from the mosque if the imam sees fit. Indeed, if he makes the plot a mosque while a tree stands in it, the imam may uproot it, even if the endower included it within the endowment (waqf).”
The father is a donor (mutabarriʿ), so he is not entitled to take anything in return for his donation to the mosque.
The Ministry of Awqāf is the body that supervises the affairs of endowments, so it must be consulted and the Sharīʿah and administrative instructions regulating such matters must be considered. And Allah Almighty knows best.

Is a woman's prayer performed while following an Imam whose prayer is being broadcasted via the television valid, and does she receive the reward of congregational prayer?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Among the conditions for the validity of following an Imam (Iqtida’) is that the Imam and the follower must be in the same location. Therefore, the prayer of one who follows an Imam whose prayer is being broadcasted via television from a distant location is not valid. However, if the follower is with the Imam in the same mosque, the prayer is valid. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on compensating the patient in case of medical error on the part of the treating physician?

 
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The foundational principle is that every mistake issued by a physician that causes harm to another due to his negligence or lack of expertise obligates him to guarantee liability and compensate the harmed party. The Sharia maxim, in this regard, states: "The direct actor is liable."
 
Ibn Qudamah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "As for if he was skilled but his hand committed an error—such as exceeding the proper limit of incision, cutting in an incorrect site, cutting with an instrument that inflicts excessive pain, or cutting at an unsuitable time—he is liable, because it is destruction (Itlaf) whose liability does not differ between intent and mistake, thus resembling the destruction of property; and because it is a prohibited act, so he guarantees liability for its secondary effects." [Al-Mughni].
 
However, if the physician performed what was necessary in the most complete manner and took all measures of care and caution, but complications occurred that could not be avoided according to specialists, then no liability rests upon him.
 
Shaykh al-Islam Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "The cupper and the circumciser bear no liability if they have not been negligent, and likewise the veterinarian if he bleeds an animal and it perishes." [Rawdat al-Talibin].
 
Al-Khattabi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I know of no disagreement that if the practitioner transgresses and the patient perishes, he is liable. Anyone who undertakes knowledge or practice he does not know is a transgressor; so if perishing arises from his action, he is liable for the blood-money (Diyah) while capital retaliation (Qisas) is dropped from him, because he did not act independently without the patient's permission. And the physician’s offense in the view of the generality of jurists is borne by his agnates ('Aqilah*)."* [Ma'alim al-Sunan].
 
If negligence or transgression is established against the physician, it is necessary to compensate the patient or seek forgiveness from him. And Allah Almighty knows best.

Is the prayer of a woman who is led by an Imam via T.V. permissible?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds, and may His Peace and Blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all of his family and companions.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Amongst the conditions for the validity of prayer is that both the Imam and those led by him must be in the same place. Thus, the prayer of the person who is being led by a televised Imam is invalid unless he/she was with him in the same mosque. And Allah Knows Best.