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"The Role of Religious Discourse in Curbing the Scourge of Drugs"
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 09-11-2022

"The Role of Religious Discourse in Curbing the Scourge of Drugs"

 

In cooperation with the Iftaa` Department, the Directorate of Public Security organized a symposium under the title "The Role of Religious Discourse in Curbing the Scourge of Drugs," Sunday, 6th of Nov. 2022. This symposium is a part of a series of education and awareness-raising activities launched by the Directorate to protect the community from the scourge of drugs.

Grand Mufti Sheikh AbdulKareem Al-Khasawneh, Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh, Director of Public Security Maj. Gen. Obeidullah Al-Ma`aytah, the representative of the Chief Justice Dr. Sameeh Al-Zou`bi, and the representative of the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Father Elias Barakat attended this symposium, which was held in King Hussein Cultural Centre.

The symposium discussed the importance and the influential role of the religious discourse in disseminating knowledge, raising awareness on the dangers of drugs, uniting the community in combating the evils of drugs as well as traffickers and dealers who seek to make unlawful gains at the expense of the security of the community and the safety of its members.

The Grand Mufti said that Shariah came to preserve the five necessities: religion, life, intellect, lineage, and wealth, and warned that whatever harms these necessities is prohibited. The drugs is the most evil of menaces as it causes the loss of religion, destroys life, intellects, lineage and wealth. Therefore, it is our national and religious duty to combat this dangerous phenomenon.

On his part, the Minister of Awqaf stressed the importance of faith in fortifying the individual and motivating him/her to avoid whatever is in violation of Sharia and destroys the intellect. In addition, he pointed that the participatory roles played by the Ministry of Awqaf, through Friday sermons, religious lessons, preaching, and guidance, are a religious duty that aims to protect the community and strengthen its security in an integrated framework; especially when it comes to combating drugs.

On his part, the representative of the Chief Justice spoke about the devastating impact caused by drugs leading to the breakup of families and damaging community, which requires enhancing the religious discourse to combat the dangers of drugs and develop solutions to curb this obstacle.

On his part, the representative of the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox explained that the church is keen on guiding its subjects towards the ways of goodness and love and avoiding whatever deforms God`s creation on the physical, psychological, and spiritual levels. This includes raising awareness on the dangers of drugs, ways of prevention, and developing the minds of the youth to create healthy generations.

The Director of Iftaa and guidance in the Directorate of Public Security Colonel Dr. Samer Al-Hawamleh expressed keenness on cementing partnerships and bridges of cooperation with various religious institutions in Jordan in support for the efforts to curb the spread of drugs and other negative and crime phenomena. This goes beyond the traditional security measures employing preventive roles that help enhance community`s safety and stability.

The symposium included specialized discussions and research papers that shed light on the elements and foundations of the religious discourse guided to serve the community and keep abreast of its needs and phenomena; particularly the problem of drugs, which requires joining efforts and roles showing that it is harmful, prohibited and must be combatted.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on supplicating with other than the transmitted (Ma'thur) supplications in prayer?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is permissible to supplicate (make du'a) during the prayer for anything from the affairs of religion or worldly life, and the prayer is not invalidated by doing so.
Shaykh al-Islam, the Imam an-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, says: "Our madhhab [i.e., the Shafi'i madhhab] holds that it is permissible for a person to supplicate during it [the prayer] with anything that is permissible to supplicate with outside the prayer, from the affairs of religion or worldly life. He may say: 'O Allah, grant me wholesome sustenance, offspring, a house, and a beautiful young wife' — describing her; or: 'O Allah, free so-and-so from prison,' or 'destroy so-and-so,' and other such things — and none of this invalidates his prayer according to us. And this is also the view of Malik, ath-Thawri, Abu Thawr, and Ishaq." [Al-Majmu', Vol.3/P.454]. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the validity of the formula for sending blessings upon our master Muḥammad ﷺ: *"Allāhumma ṣalli wa sallim wa bārik ‘alā sayyidinā Muḥammad wa ‘alā ālihi, ‘adada kamāli-Llāhi wa kamā yalīqu bikamālihi"* ("O Allah, send blessings, peace, and grace upon our master Muḥammad and his family, by the number of Allah's perfection, and as befits His perfection")?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is permissible to send blessings upon our master, the Prophet ﷺ, using the formula mentioned in the question, since sending blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ is an act of devotion legislated in its basic essence, without a specific prescribed wording required outside of the formal prayer itself. It is therefore valid to perform it outside of prayer using any formula. This particular formula involves multiplying the blessings sent upon the Chosen Prophet ﷺ to the number of the perfections of Allah, the Exalted — which are limitless — so that, by Allah's permission, its reward and benefit never cease.
The meaning of "the number of Allah's perfection" is that it is without limit, making the blessings sent boundless, corresponding to His perfection, Glorified is He, which cannot be enumerated or counted. This formula is analogous to the words of our Greatest Prophet ﷺ, as related in the authentic ḥadīth narrated by Imam Muslim: the Prophet ﷺ said to Sayyidah Juwayriyyah (raḍiyallāhu ‘anhā): "Indeed, I said four phrases after you [left], three times, which, if weighed against everything you have said since this morning, would outweigh them: Subḥān Allāhi wa biḥamdihi, ‘adada khalqihi, wa riḍā nafsihi, wa zinata ‘arshihi, wa midāda kalimātihi" (Glory be to Allah, and praise be to Him, by the number of His creation, by His pleasure, by the weight of His Throne, and by the extent of His words). And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on swearing an oath by the Prophet ﷺ, and does such an oath take effect according to Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, requiring expiation upon its breach?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Swearing an oath by a created being is disliked (makrūh) in our Shāfiʿī school. Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Swearing by a created being is disliked — such as swearing by the Prophet, the Kaʿbah, Jibrīl, the Companions, or the Prophet's family. Al-Shāfiʿī, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: 'I fear that swearing by other than Allah the Almighty may constitute an act of disobedience.' The scholars of the school explained this to mean: that is, something forbidden and sinful — indicating that he had some hesitation in the matter. Al-Imām stated: the established position of the school is that it is categorically not forbidden, but rather disliked. Furthermore, whoever swears by a created being, his oath does not take effect and no expiation (kaffārah) is required if he breaks it." [Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn wa ʿUmdat al-Muftīn, Vol. 11/P.6]
According to the Ḥanbalī school, however, expiation becomes obligatory upon one who swears by our master the Prophet ﷺ and then breaks his oath. Imām al-Bahūtī al-Ḥanbalī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "No expiation is required for swearing by other than Allah the Almighty, even if the oath is broken — because expiation was made obligatory for swearing by Allah and His attributes, out of reverence for His names, and nothing else is equal to Him in this regard... except in the case of swearing by our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, for expiation becomes obligatory when one swears by him and then breaks the oath. This was explicitly stated in the narration of Abū Ṭālib, because he is one of the two conditions of the two testimonies of faith by which a disbeliever becomes a Muslim. Ibn ʿAqīl held the view that swearing by any of the other prophets, peace and blessings be upon them all, carries the same ruling." [Sharḥ Muntahā al-Irādāt, Vol. 3/P.441]. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

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.