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

 

Decision Number [ Previous | Next ]


Summarized Fatawaa

Is the Saying "Whatever is Taken by the Sword of Shyness is Forbidden" an Authentic Ḥadīth?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The saying "Whatever is taken by the sword of shyness is forbidden" is not an authentic ḥadīth, though its underlying meaning is sound. The established sharʿī principle is that a Muslim's wealth is not lawful for anyone to take except with his wholehearted consent, as Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly, but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent." [Al-Nisā/ 29] And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Listen to me and you will live well: do not wrong others, do not wrong others, do not wrong others. Indeed, a man's wealth is not lawful except with his full, willing consent." (Reported by Aḥmad in his Musnad.) Whatever is taken through the pressure of shyness or social embarrassment runs directly counter to genuine, wholehearted consent.
The jurists have explicitly stated that whatever is taken by means of the "sword of shyness" carries the same ruling as that which is taken by coercion — it must be returned to its rightful owner.
Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states in al-Fatāwā al-Kubrā (Vol.3/P.30): "Do you not see the reported scholarly consensus that whoever has something taken from him purely out of shyness, without his genuine consent, does not pass ownership of it to the one who took it? They reasoned that this constitutes a form of coercion through the 'sword of shyness,' comparable to coercion at the point of an actual sword. Indeed, many people would rather submit to the literal sword and endure the pain of its wound than submit to this first kind of coercion, out of fear for their dignity and standing — which people of sound judgment hold dear and guard most fiercely." And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What are the categories of the livestock permissible for Udhiyah?

In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
An Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) is only valid if it is selected from Al-An'am (livestock), which includes: camels, cattle, and sheep or goats—whether male or female, and even if castrated. Allah Almighty says {what means}: "And for all religion We have appointed a rite [of sacrifice] that they may mention the name of Allah over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] livestock." (Al-Hajj/ 34)
 
In terms of preference, camels are considered the best choice, followed by cattle, then sheep, and finally goats.
A single sheep or goat is valid as a sacrifice on behalf of one person. However, a single camel or cow can be shared by up to seven people. This is based on the narration of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "In the year of Al-Hudaybiyah, we sacrificed along with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) a camel on behalf of seven people, and a cow on behalf of seven people." (Narrated by Muslim)
 
(Note: The term "Badanah" used in the original Arabic text specifically refers to a camel in this context). And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

Is it permissible to offer prayer at home, or should it be offered in the mosque?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds.                                                                                                                                                                      It isn`t preferable for the man to pray at home as praying in the mosque is twenty seven times more rewarding. Therefore, this should motivate him to offer prayers in the mosque. And Allah Knows Best.

Is it permissible to combine and shorten prayers at home before traveling?

It is impermissible to combine and shorten prayers at home before traveling because a person is called a traveler once he/she departs the borders of his/her country, and offering prayer that way was originally intended to exempt a traveler. And Allah Knows Best.