Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

"Resolution No. (292): "Ruling on Giving Zakah for Renovating the Old Houses of the People of Jerusalem

Date Added : 17-08-2020

Resolution No. (292) (12/2020) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Giving Zakah for Renovating the Old Houses of the People of Jerusalem"

Date: (16th of Dhu al-Hijjah, 1441 AH), corresponding to (6/8/2020 AD).

 

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

In its 10nth meeting held on the above date, the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies reviewed the letter No.(4/1/1/1842) (15/3/2020) sent from the Director General of the Zakah Fund Dr. Abed Mahmoud Smirat.  In this letter Mr. Smirat asked about the permissibility of allocating a portion of the Zakah funds (2000JDs) in favor of the Jordanian Engineers` Association`s campaign "Light the Jerusalem Lanterns", as requested by Mr. Abu Sufeh, for the purpose of renovating the old houses of the people of Jerusalem.

After deliberating, the Board decided the following:

There is no sin in using Zakah funds for renovating the houses of the poor and needy families from among the people of Jerusalem, of course after asking their permission. Rather, it is the duty of every Muslim to help the people of Jerusalem stand in the face of the Israeli occupation and prevent the judaization of this city. We pray that whoever gives Zakah for this purpose receives the same reward of those mentioned in the following Hadith: "It was narrated that Maimunah the freed (female) slave of the Prophet (PBUH) said: I said: “O Messenger of Allah, tell us about Baitil- Maqdis.” He said: “It is the land of the Resurrection and the Gathering. Go and pray there, for one prayer there is like one thousand prayers elsewhere.” I said: “What if I cannot travel and go there?” He said: “Then send a gift of oil to light its lamps, for whoever does that is like one who goes there.” {Ahmad`s Musnad, vol.45/pp.598}. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

 

 

 Chairperson of Iftaa` Board,

Grand Mufti of Jordan,

Dr. Abdulkareem al-Khasawneh

Dr. Mahmoud al-Sartawi, Member

Sheikh Sa`eid Al-Hijjawi, Member

Dr. Majed al-Darawsheh, Member

Dr. Ahmad al-Hasanat, Member

Judge Khalid Woraikat, Member 

Prof. Adam Nooh Al-Qhodaat/Member

Dr. Amjad Rasheed/Member

Dr. Jamil Khatatbeh/Member

Dr. Mohammad Younis Al-Zou`bi/ Member

 

 

Decision Number [ Previous | Next ]


Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible to divide a single Sa‘ of Zakat al-Fitr—or its equivalent value in cash—among more than one poor person?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Zakat al-Fitr is estimated at one Sa‘ per person, but the number of people to whom this Sa‘ can be given has not been specified. For this reason, it is permissible to distribute a single Sa‘ among more than one poor person. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

What is the Du`a (supplication) of Istikhara (guidance prayer)?

O Allah, I consult You as You are All-Knowing and I appeal to You to give me power as You are Omnipotent, I ask You for Your great favor, for You have power and I do not, and You know all of the hidden matters. O Allah! If you know that this matter (then he should mention it) is good for me in my religion, my livelihood, and for my life in the Hereafter, or he said: "for my present and future life" then make it (easy) for me. And if you know that this matter is not good for me in my religion, my livelihood and my life in the Hereafter, or he said: "for my present and future life" then keep it away from me and take me away from it and choose what is good for me wherever it is and please me with it."

When is Istikharah (guidance prayer) Du`a offered, before Tasleem (saying asalamu alikum warahmatu allah wa barakatuh to end the prayer), or after it?

It is offered after Tasleem.

Is it permissible to agree with a butcher to purchase the meat of an animal after it has been slaughtered — for instance, by buying the meat of a sheep at a price determined by the weight of its meat following slaughter, at a fixed rate per kilogram? And what is the ruling if the animal is being purchased with the intention of it being an uḍḥiyyah (sacrificial offering)?

 
 
 
 
 

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is not permissible to sell livestock in the manner of pricing each kilogram of meat after slaughter at a fixed rate, because the meat within the animal prior to slaughter is unseen and unknown. This leads to jahālah (ignorance of the subject matter) and gharar (contractual uncertainty), both of which are among the invalidating factors in sales transactions.
However, it is permissible for the buyer to issue a promise to purchase the meat of the animal after slaughter at a specified price per kilogram, with the actual sale being concluded at the time of weighing the meat — at which point both the quantity of the goods and the total price become known. There is no Sharī'ah objection to this arrangement.
The jurists have stipulated that for a sale to be valid, both countervalues must be present and observable. Al-Khaṭīb al-Shirbīnī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states:
"It is valid to sell a heap of grain whose total measure is unknown to both contracting parties at a rate of one sā' per dirham. This sale is valid because the subject of sale is present and observable, and ignorance of the total price is not harmful since it is known in detail — and uncertainty is thereby lifted."— [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol.2/P.355]
As for the uḍḥiyyah, the 'aqīqah, and vowed blood sacrifices (al-dam al-mandhūr) — full ownership of the animal must be established prior to slaughter. It is not valid for such animals to be slaughtered while still in the ownership of the butcher. Rather, the animal must be purchased alive and then slaughtered with the intention of uḍḥiyyah or the like. And Allah Almighty knows best.