Articles

A Statement on Al-Aqsa Mosque
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 24-12-2014

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

The General Iftaa` Department of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan denounces the untrue views circulated by some media websites, calling for dedicating a place of worship for the Jews within the yard of Al-Aqsa mosque, because they were expressed by a person who holds no degree in religious sciences, his views are unfounded in Sharia and he enjoys no consideration in all juristic schools.

Al-Aqsa mosque is a purely Islamic endowment (Waqf) that will remain until the Day of Resurrection, it can`t be made otherwise by the ignorance of an ignorant, or the aggression of a usurper. It is mentioned in the Holy Quran at the beginning of Al-Isra chapter (Al-Aqsa mosque) and it is referred to as Al-Haram Ash-Sharif in Jerusalem: both words are synonymous, so any of them covers the whole Islamic site located in the far southern-eastern corner of the Old City stretching over a hundred and forty four dunums. It covers Al-Jamie` Al-Quibli, the dome of the rock mosque, Al-Mosala Al-Marawani and many other Islamic endowments. Each inch of Al-Aqsa mosque, constructed or not, is an integral part of its sanctity as it is the place from where our Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) embarked on His nocturnal journey. In fact, an Islamic endowment covers the area below and above it. It also covers all properties pertaining to Al-Aqsa mosque even those beyond its walls such as: Sahat Al-Bouraq, Harat Al-Magharibah and Tareeq Bab Al-Magharibah.

None can deny that Umar Bin Al-Khatab treated non-Muslims with mercy and justice (Pact of Umar), and by doing so, he has preserved the holy sites and the Islamic endowments. He made a condition, as stated in history books, that no places of worship for non-Muslims are to be built in an Islamic endowment (Waqf). He recognized the built churches at that time and on their own land, so justice was accomplished by respecting the already built sacred places. Any violation of this is simply an act of aggression and tyranny based on unlawful occupation and suppression of people.

Accordingly, that person`s views have neither Islamic nor historical foundations, and they have no consideration by former and contemporary scholars, jurisprudence assemblies, religious organizations and Islamic conferences.

On its part, the General Iftaa` Department emphasizes that each inch of Al-Aqsa mosque is sacred, and none has the right to abdicate it, or take it out of its mosque character. It also emphasizes the Hashemite's religious and historical guardianship over Al-Aqsa mosque and the holy sites of Jerusalem; therefore, it will initiate legal action against the previously mentioned person. And All praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

My brother works in a conventional bank and gave me one of the gifts distributed to bank employees — what is the ruling on accepting it?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
There is no objection to accepting such gifts, because the physical gift itself does not carry any inherent prohibition — unlike stolen property. Sin does not transfer or extend to the one who receives the gift, for Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "And no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another." [Al-Anʿām/164]
The evidence for this is that the Prophet ﷺ himself ate from the food of the Jews, conducted transactions with them, and purchased from them — and it is well known that their wealth was intermingled with ribā. Similarly, the wealth of conventional ribā-based banks is a mixture of the lawful and the unlawful.
Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "It is not forbidden to transact with one whose wealth is predominantly unlawful, nor to eat from it — as al-Nawawī affirmed in al-Majmūʿ." [Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj, Vol. 9/P.389] And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on a menstruating woman (ḥā'iḍ) reciting the Islamic ruqyah (Qur'anic/spiritual healing)?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is permissible for a person in a state of janābah (major ritual impurity), or a menstruating woman (ḥā'iḍ), or a woman in postpartum bleeding (nufasā'), to recite for the purpose of ruqyah (spiritual/Qur'anic healing), even if this includes some verses of the Noble Qur'an — whether recited from memory or by looking at the Muṣ-ḥaf (the physical copy of the Qur'an) without touching or carrying it — provided that the intention behind the recitation is ruqyah, protection (taḥṣīn), and remembrance (dhikr), not the intention of tilāwah (Qur'anic recitation as an act of worship in itself). This remains permissible even if what is recited is an entire sūrah, such as Sūrat al-Mulk.
Imam al-Khaṭīb ash-Shirbīnī (raḥimahullāh) said: "It is lawful for a person in janābah to utter its [the Qur'an's] remembrances and other content — such as its admonitions, its narratives, and its rulings — so long as it is not with the intention of [reciting] Qur'an. [This is] like his saying upon mounting [a vehicle]: 'Glory be to Him Who has subjected this to us, and we could never have accomplished this [by ourselves]' [Sūrat az-Zukhruf: 13] — meaning, [could never have] been capable of it — or upon a calamity: 'Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we shall return'... In fact, my teacher, ash-Shihāb ar-Ramlī, issued a fatwā that even if he recited the entire Qur'an without the intention of [reciting] Qur'an, it would be permissible." [Summarized from Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol. 1/P.217] And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Which hour coincides with the last third of the night?

This hour could be figured out by calculating the number of night hours which start at sunset, and end at dawn break, then the total is divided on three to get the result.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on following the actions of the imam in prayer and how this following is achieved?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The follower (ma'mum) is required to follow his imam in the actions of the prayer. This "following" (mutaba'ah) means that the follower performs each action of the prayer after the imam has begun it but before he has finished it. For example, the follower bows (in ruku') after the imam has reached the position of bowing, then rises after the imam has risen. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The imam is only appointed to be followed, so when he says the takbir, say the takbir; and when he bows, then bow; and when he prostrates, then prostrate" (agreed upon, i.e., reported by both al-Bukhari and Muslim).
It is stated in Mughni al-Muhtaj (1/505): "Among the conditions of valid congregational prayer (iqtida') is following the imam in the actions of the prayer... meaning that following the imam is obligatory in the physical actions of the prayer, not in its verbal utterances... Complete following (kamal al-mutaba'ah) is achieved when the follower's beginning of an action comes after the imam's beginning of that same action, while the follower's beginning of the action precedes the imam's completion of it" — end of quote, with slight paraphrasing.
And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.