Al-Iftaa` Administrative Organization Regulation


 

Article (1):

This regulation shall be cited as "Al-Iftaa` Administrative Organization Regulation/2007" and shall come into effect after the date of its publication in the official Gazette.

Article (2):

The following words and expressions, wherever used in this Regulation, shall have the meanings hereunder assigned to them, unless the context otherwise provides:

-The Grand Mufti: Grand Mufti of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

-The Department: General Iftaa` Department.

-The Secretary General: Secretary General of Iftaa` Department

-The Mufti: Any Mufti at the Department or its branches in governorates.

Article (3):

The organizational structure of the department shall consist of:

A-The Grand Mufti.

B-The Secretary General.

C-The Muftis.

D-The following directorates:

1-The Directorate of Islamic Research and Studies.

2-The Directorate of Public Relations & Media.

3-The Directorate of Administrative & Financial Affairs.

4-The Directorate of Bureau.

H-The following two units:

1-Internal Auditing.

2-Information Technology (IT).

I-Iftaa` offices in governorates.

Article (4):

An Iftaa` office shall be established in every governorate and shall be supervised by a Mufti.

Article (5):

A-The Secretary General shall be associated with the Grand Mufti and shall be responsible before him for the flow of work at the Department or any of its branches.

B-Muftis shall be administratively associated with the Secretary General.

C-Managers of directorates and units shall be associated with the Secretary General, and each shall be responsible before him for delivering the tasks & obligations entrusted to them.

Article (6):

A-A committee shall be established at the Department cited as (Planning Committee). It shall be presided by the Grand Mufti, and the following names shall be members:

1-The Secretary General-Vice president.

2-Muftis cited by the Grand Mufti.

3-Managers of directorates at the Dept.

B-The committee shall undertake the following tasks and obligations and report the proper recommendations to the Grand Mufti:

1.Studying the Department`s plan of action and proposing the best methods of development to enable the Dept. to deliver its message.

2-Preparing job classification system of the Dept.

3-Preparing draft laws, regulations and instructions pertaining to the function of the Dept.

4-Preparing the annual budget draft and the man-power table budget of the Dept.

5-Any other matters transferred by the Mufti.

C-The committee shall convene upon invitation of its chair or vice chair, in case the former was absent, at least once a month or whenever the need arises. Its meeting shall constitute a quorum by the attendance of two thirds of the members; provided that the chair or his deputy is amongst them, and recommendations shall be adopted through, at least, the majority voting of the members.

D-The Grand Mufti shall name an employee as secretary of the committee. The latter shall be entrusted with preparing the agenda, following up meetings invitations, keeping record of sessions, following up the execution of recommendations and filing documents and correspondence.

E-The Chair of the committee may invite whoever he sees fit from the employees of the Dept. or others, seeking their professional opinion on issues presented to the committee, but without giving them the right to vote.

 

Article (7):

A-Based on a letter from the Secretary General, the Grand Mufti shall have the right to establish, abolish or merge any directorate or unit at the Dept.

B-Based on a letter from the manager in question, the Secretary General shall have the right to establish, abolish or merge any department or section in a directorate or an office.

Article (8):

The Grand Mufti shall issue the instructions needed for the implementation of the provision of this regulation, including the following:

A-Specifying the tasks of directorates and units and the responsibilities of their managers.

B-Classifying jobs at the Dept.

C-Defining the relationships and the channels of communication and coordination amongst the different directorates, units, and sections at the Dept.

 

Article (9):

Iftaa` Regulation (17/1997) shall be abolished.

Summarized Fatawaa

I broke my oath and am now obligated to pay the expiation for a broken oath (kaffārat al-yamīn). Would it be valid to fulfill this by inviting the poor and needy to a meal for them to eat from?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The expiation for a broken oath (kaffārat al-yamīn) is given to the poor (fuqarā') and needy (masākīn), and it must be given in the form of ownership (tamlīk) transferred to them of the required amount — namely, one mudd of the staple food of the locality, or its equivalent monetary value. It isn`t valid to invite the poor or needy to a meal prepared for them to eat from, as this does not constitute "ownership" (tamlīk) but merely "permission to partake" (ibāḥah).
Imam al-Shirbīnī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "What is intended is that ownership be transferred to them; therefore, providing them with lunch or dinner [as a meal to eat from] isn`t valid." [Summarized from Mughnī al-Muhtāj,Vol. 5/P.50]. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

If a father stops his daughter from getting married, is it permissible for her to conclude the marriage contract herself?

It is permissible for the father to stop his daughter from getting married if there was a lawful reason for that, and she isn`t allowed to conclude the marriage contract without her guardian. However, if her father denied her right in getting married for an unlawful reason, then she should go to court.

What is the ruling on bypassing a nearby mosque for a distant one?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
If a distant mosque has a larger congregation (Jama‘ah) while the congregation in the nearby mosque is smaller, and the congregation in the nearby mosque is not adversely affected by the worshiper's absence, then it is better for him to pray in the distant mosque with the larger congregation. However, if the congregation in the nearby mosque would be affected by his absence—such as if he is its Imam, or if his presence encourages others to attend—then praying in the nearby mosque is better. This ensures that the congregation is established in two different locations within the community. This is based on the saying of the Prophet ﷺ: 'A man's prayer offered with another man is purer than his prayer which he offers alone, and his prayer with two men is purer than his prayer with one and if they are more (in number), it is more beloved to Allah, the Mighty the Majestic' (Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, and An-Nasa'i). And Allah the Exalted knows best.

My father has debts and asked me to repay them years ago, and I promised him I would do so upon his death — is it permissible for me to go back on my promise given that I am unable to repay them, especially since he refuses to contribute to repayment on the grounds that the debt has become my responsibility by virtue of my promise?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The established principle is that a father's debt is to be repaid from his own wealth, if he possesses sufficient means. As for the promise made by the son to repay it on his father's behalf, fulfilling such a promise is strongly recommended, and breaking it is considerably disliked. Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Fulfilling a promise is emphatically recommended, and breaking it is severely disliked. The evidences for this from the Qurʾān and the Sunnah are well known." [Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn,Vol. 2/P.278] Shaykh al-Islām Imām Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī, may Allah have mercy upon him, further states: "The reason fulfilling a promise is not obligatory and breaking it is not forbidden is that a promise is in the nature of a gift, and a gift does not become binding except upon receipt." [Asnā al-Maṭālib fī Sharḥ Rawḍ al-Ṭālib,Vol. 2/P.487]
Given that the son does not possess the financial means to fulfil his promise to his father, breaking this promise falls beyond his capacity — and Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. Since the father himself possesses sufficient wealth to settle his own debt, repayment must be made from his own funds. Should he pass away before doing so, the debt is to be settled from his estate. And Allah the Almighty knows best.