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Achievements of Iftaa` Department (1430 AH-2009 AD)
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 23-10-2022

Achievements of Iftaa` Department (1430 AH-2009 AD)

 

Based on the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II, the General Iftaa` Department has been playing an effective role in society through clarifying the rulings of Sharia to the people in a transparent and moderate approach. In 2006, a law was passed which declared the independence of the Department from the Ministry of Religious Endowments and other official bodies. The law determined the tasks and duties of the Department as follows:

 

1. Supervising and organizing of Fatwa affairs in the Kingdom.

2. Issuing Fatwas on general and specific matters in accordance with the provisions of this law.

3. Preparing of the required research papers and Islamic studies on important matters and emerging issues.

4. Producing a periodic specialist academic journal concerned with the publication of reviewed academic research papers in Shari'ah and Islamic sciences and related fields.

5. Cooperating with scholars of Islamic law in the Kingdom and outside of it regarding fatwa affairs.

6. Offering opinions and advice in matters presented to it by state agencies.

 

The Grand Mufti shall be in charge of running the Department`s affairs, the flow of the work and the execution of the Iftaa`s general policy with the assistance of a team of Muftis in the Department`s headquarter and the governorates.

 

On its part, the Department has done several activities through which it reached out to society and directed fellow citizens to act upon the teachings of Sharia to achieve, as Allah promised, happiness in this world and the next life.

 

This communication has reflected society`s keenness on acting upon the teachings of Sharia, Department`s credibility, and people`s faith in fatwas issued by it.

 

Following are the Department`s most notable achievements of last year:

First: Fatwas Issued by the Department.

In 2009, the Department issued (159318); an average of (639) for each working day. These fatwas were distributed as follows:

 

1- Fatwas on Divorce. (24422) fatwas divided between valid divorce (12764) and invalid divorce (11658). The percentage of the questions on divorce constituted (15.3%) from the overall number of questions. As for the rest of the questions, they were divided between acts of worship, transactions, personal status, Islamic Creed, Tafsir (Interpretation), Hadith, and social problems.

2- Fatwas on other Issues.

 

- Verbal Questions. The asker is directly transferred to one of the Muftis. The total of this type of questions posed during personal interviews conducted inside the Department has reached (15107).

- Written questions. In this regard, the asker fills out the written fatwa form, and then the question is transferred to one of the Muftis or researchers in the Department to prepare the answer supported by the proper evidence and sayings of the jurists. After that, the answer is submitted to a committee formed for this end. After the committee adopts it, the answer is submitted to the Grand Mufti for approval or modification, as he deems appropriate. Finally, the fatwa is sent to the asker. This type of questions has reached the total of (181).

 

3- Fatwas Delivered over the Telephone.

The asker calls the Department. He is transferred to one of the Muftis. The Mufti listens to the question and gives the appropriate answer. The number of questions asked via this method reached (79680).

 

4- Fatwas Via SMS.

Recently, the Iftaa` Department has contracted some telecommunications companies to provide the service of delivering Fatwas through SMS and E-Government services. The total number of such messages has reached (36822).

 

5- Seeking Fatwas Via the Department`s Website and E-Mail.

After launching the electronic website, the Department started receiving questions from all over the world. A committee composed of eminent Muftis give special care to these questions and provide scientific answers for them. Afterwards, the answers are directly submitted to the Grand Mufti for approval or modification. The total number of questions sent via the website (WWW.Aliftaa.jo) has reached (2295) while the the questions sent via the e-mail ([email protected]) has reached (811) questions.

 

Second: Prints and Bulletins Issued by the Department.

The Department has issued a monthly bulletin under the name (Al-Iftaa`) in which research papers, articles, and research fatwas of Muftis are published. The bulletin is also concerned with fatwas issued by the Department. This bulletin will be, Insha`Allah, an introduction to the issuance of the Iftaa`s peer-reviewed journal.

 

Third: Muftis` Participation in Media and Reaching out to Local Society.

The Muftis have participated in a number of conferences, TV shows, dialogue seminars, religious lectures, and Friday sermons delivered at the mosques of the Ministry of Awqaf year-round.

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on a woman who learns of her divorce or her husband's death after her *ʿiddah* has ended? And does the *ʿiddah* of a woman who abandoned mourning (*iḥdād*) for the whole period of the *ʿiddah*, or part of it, still end, even though she knew that abandoning it is forbidden?**

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The waiting period of a widow who is not pregnant is four months and ten days, based on the saying of Allah Almighty (which means): “And those of you who die and leave wives behind, they shall wait concerning themselves for four months and ten days” [al-Baqarah/234]. If she is pregnant, her ʿiddah ends with the delivery of her child. The ʿiddah is calculated by lunar months and begins from the date of death.
If her ʿiddah ends before she learns of her husband’s death, or of his divorcing her, she does not observe the ʿiddah upon learning of it, because her ʿiddah has already ended.
It is stated in al-Bayān fī Madhhab al-Imām al-Shāfiʿī (Vol.11/p.41), one of the books of the Shāfiʿī school: “If a man divorces his wife, or dies while he is absent from her, her ʿiddah is from the time of the divorce or from the time of death. If she does not know of the divorce or the death until her ʿiddah period has ended, then her ʿiddah has ended. If she learns of it before the end of the ʿiddah period, she completes her ʿiddah counting from the time of the divorce or death.”
As for a woman who abandoned mourning throughout the ʿiddah while knowing that it is forbidden, she is sinful, although her ʿiddah has nonetheless ended. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on someone who possesses gold with the intention of saving/hoarding it, and owns nothing else — is he obligated to sell a portion of it in order to pay the zakāh due on it?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Zakāh becomes immediately obligatory on cash, and likewise on gold — that which is not designated for a woman's personal adornment— once both reach the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for zakah) and a full ḥawl (lunar year) has passed over them. It is not permissible to delay payment when it is genuinely possible to pay — meaning, when the wealth and the eligible recipients are both available. It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.2/p.129): "Zakāh is obligatory immediately once it becomes feasible to pay it, meaning when the wealth and the eligible recipients are both present."
The one paying zakāh must discharge the obligatory zakāh due on saved (hoarded) gold either from the gold itself, or from its equivalent monetary value, in the event that no other funds are available — since paying from the gold itself is the original default (al-aṣl). It becomes permissible to pay from other funds instead only because zakāh is built upon the principle of ease and leniency, as stated in Asnā al-Maṭālib (Vol.1/p.366): "When a full ḥawl has elapsed on wealth other than trade goods... zakāh attaches to the actual asset itself (al-‘ayn), and the poor effectively become partners in it — even, for example, [becoming partners] in camels through the value of a sheep [owed as zakāh on them]... Paying from other wealth is permitted only because zakāh is built upon the principle of ease and leniency."
Accordingly: the one paying zakāh must discharge it either from the actual saved gold itself, or by selling a portion of the gold equal to the amount of zakāh owed. He may also borrow money to pay the zakāh, or pay the zakāh in installments before the ḥawl is complete [as an advance payment]. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on someone who insults or deceives others while fasting?

Insulting or deceiving others is forbidden (haram) and diminishes the reward of fasting.
The Prophet ﷺ warned against deception, saying: "Whoever deceives is not one of us." [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi]
However, their fast remains valid despite the sin.

A man wishes to offer more than one uḍḥiyah (sacrificial offering), and intends by these sacrifices "on behalf of everyone whom Allah and His Messenger love." Is this intention valid?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The uḍḥiyah (sacrificial offering) is not valid with this intention, because if the sacrificial animal is from sheep or goats, it suffices for one person only; and if it is from cattle or camels, it suffices for seven persons.
However, one may sacrifice it on his own behalf, and then gift the equivalent of its reward to whomever he wishes.
Imam ar-Ramlī (raḥimahullāh) says: "Ash-Shāfi‘ī (raḍiyallāhu ‘anh) said: It is within the vastness of Allah's bounty, the Exalted, that He rewards the one giving charity as well. From this, the scholars of the madhhab said: it is recommended for a person to intend the charity on behalf of his parents, for example — for Allah, the Exalted, will reward them, without this diminishing his own reward in any way." He then relates, as the relied-upon position, the permissibility of saying: "O Allah, convey the reward of what I have recited specifically to so-and-so, and to the Muslims generally." Az-Zarkashī said: "For reward varies in degree — its highest form is what one designates specifically, and its lowest form is what one dedicates generally [alongside others]." [End of quote from Nihāyat al-Muḥtāj]. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

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