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A Statement on the Responsibility of both the Voter and the Candidate
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 21-02-2023

 

All perfect praise be to Allah The Lord of The Worlds. May Allah`s Peace and Blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

 

Parliamentary elections are a legitimate means of selecting MPs who represent the nation, act on its behalf in overseeing the performance of the government, and enact laws to serve citizens and advance their interests hence represent one of the mechanisms of the Shura (Consultation) rule established by Sharia (Islamic Law).

 

The candidate's responsibility Before Allah is a great one, so he/she must sense its weight and realize its importance to be able to deliver it honestly and sincerely for the good of the country and nation. Allah The Almighty Says {What means}: "We did indeed offer the Trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the Mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but man undertook it;- He was indeed unjust and foolish." {Al-Ahzab/72}.

 

It is forbidden for a candidate to influence the will of the voters through money and bribes. Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-Aas (May Allah Be Pleased with him): "Allah's Messenger (PBUH) cursed the one who bribes and the one who takes bribes." [Reported by Abu Dawood].

 

Similarly, casting a vote is also a great responsibility, which a voter should deliver honestly and sincerely while realizing that he/she will be held accountable for it before Almighty Allah on the Day of Judgment. Allah The Almighty Says {What means}: "And they make into females angels who themselves serve God. Did they witness their creation? Their evidence will be recorded, and they will be called to account!" {Az-Zukhruf/23}.

In order for the voter to be cleared from liability before Allah and perform this great obligation (Voting) to the fullest, two things has to be done:

 

First: choosing the fittest candidate to deliver this great mission, namely the best in terms of knowledge and specialty and the most trusted over the interests of the country and citizens. Abu Dharr told that he asked Allah's Messenger to make him a governor, but he struck him on his shoulder with his hand and said: "You are weak, Abu Dharr, and it is a trust which will be a cause of shame and regret on the day of resurrection except for him who undertakes it as it ought to be undertaken and fulfils his duty in it." {Transmitted by Muslim}.

 

Second: the voter shall freely cast his/her vote, as dictated by his/her religion and conscience, without being influenced by gifts or donations because casting a vote is tantamount to casting a testimony. Therefore, this testimony isn`t for sale or bargain, and such money is unlawful and the voter who takes it will be held to account for it on the Day of Judgment. Allah The Almighty Says {What means}: "O ye who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities." {An-Nisaa`/29}.

This is also dishonesty and mischief on the earth. Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said: "When honesty is lost, then wait for the Hour." It was asked, "How will honesty be lost, O Allah's Messenger (PBUH?" He said: "When authority is given to those who do not deserve it, then wait for the Hour." {Transmitted by Bukhari}.

 

In addition, making the voter take an oath to cast his/her vote in favor of a certain candidate is impermissible for the former and the latter, and it isn`t allowed for anyone to force voters to do so, and oaths weren`t legislated for this in the first place. Allah The Almighty Says {What means}: "And make not God’s (name) an excuse in your oaths against doing good, or acting rightly, or making peace between persons; for God is One Who heareth and knoweth all things." {Al-Baqarah/224}.

 

One who has taken such an oath should atone it and elect the fittest for this life and the next. I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say: "He who has taken an oath (to do something) but found something else better than that (which brings him closer to Allah), then he should do that which is better in piety (and he should expiate for the breaking an Oath)." [Muslim].

 

We ask Almighty Allah to Guide us to the straight path and Help us do what is good of our country and nation. Peace and blessings to you.

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

I bought an apartment, and I am saving money to pay the remaining balance of its price — is zakāh obligatory on this money?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Zakāh is obligatory on all saved/hoarded wealth. Once the total wealth reaches the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for zakah— equivalent to the value of 85 grams of pure 24-karat gold) and a full ḥawl (lunar year) has elapsed over it, zakāh becomes obligatory at a rate of (2.5%) — even if the wealth is earmarked for basic future needs, and even if the wealth's owner is in debt. Debt does not prevent the obligation of zakāh, nor is it deducted when calculating the zakāh due, based on the general and unrestricted wording of all the Qur'anic verses commanding zakāh, which draw no distinction between someone in debt and anyone else.
It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik, from the books of the Shāfi‘ī school: "If someone possesses exactly the niṣāb, and owes an equivalent amount in debt, zakāh remains obligatory on what is in his possession, and the debt does not prevent this obligation" — meaning, the obligation of zakāh on what is presently in his possession.
The ḥawl (annual cycle) recognized for zakāh, as well as for the other sharī‘ah obligations that Allah, the Exalted, has imposed upon Muslims, is the Hijrī (lunar) year. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on sitting between the two prostrations, and what is the ruling on the dhikr recited during it?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
Sitting between the two prostrations (al-jalsah bayna al-sajdatayn) is one of the pillars (arkān) of the prayer, while the dhikr recited during it is Sunnah according to the Shāfi'ī scholars. It is recommended (mustahabb) to say what was narrated from Ibn 'Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say between the two prostrations in the night prayer: 'Rabbi ighfir lī, warhamnī, wajburnī, warzuqnī, warfa'nī' (My Lord, forgive me, have mercy on me, make good my deficiencies, provide for me, and raise me)." If one were to say a different supplication instead, such as "Rabbi ighfir lī" (My Lord, forgive me), the prayer would still be valid.
If the worshipper omits this dhikr between the two prostrations, whether intentionally or out of forgetfulness, their prayer remains valid and nothing is required of them, though they miss the reward of following the Sunnah. Leaving it out does not necessitate the prostration of forgetfulness (sujūd al-sahw).
It is stated in Hāshiyat al-Bājūrī 'alā Sharḥ Ibn Qāsim 'alā Matn Abī Shujā' (Vol.1/P.298): "The eleventh — i.e., of the eighteen pillars — his statement: 'sitting between the two prostrations,' meaning even in a supererogatory (nafl) prayer... his statement: 'with the supplication that has been narrated concerning it,' meaning: 'Rabbi ighfir lī, warhamnī, wajburnī, warfa'nī, warzuqnī, wahdinī, wa 'āfinī' (My Lord, forgive me, have mercy on me, make good my deficiencies, raise me, provide for me, guide me, and grant me well-being). Al-Ghazālī added: 'wa'fu 'annī' (and pardon me). Al-Mutawallī also added: 'Rabbi hab lī qalban taqiyyan, naqiyyan min al-shirk, bariyyan lā kāfiran wa lā shaqiyyan' (My Lord, grant me a heart that is God-fearing, pure from associating partners with You, innocent, neither disbelieving nor wretched)."And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

What is the ruling on a Friday sermon in which the khaṭīb did not explicitly exhort the congregation to be conscious of Allah (taqwā) in both sermons, but sufficed with commanding them to obey Allah and refrain from disobeying Him?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
For the Friday sermon (khuṭbat al-Jumʿah) to be valid, certain essential pillars (arkān) must be fulfilled. Among these is the exhortation to be conscious of Allah (waṣiyyah bi-taqwā Allāh), which must be present in both sermons. Alongside this pillar, the praising of Allah (ḥamdallah) and the sending of blessings upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ are equally required.
Shaykh al-Islām Imām Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "These three are pillars in each of the two sermons, because each sermon is independent and separate from the other." [Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj,Vol.4/P.447]
It is not a condition that the exhortation be expressed in any specific wording, nor is it required that the word "taqwā" itself be used — such as saying "I exhort you to be conscious of Allah." Rather, this pillar is fulfilled by any expression that contains a command to obey Allah the Almighty and to abstain from what He has prohibited.
Imām al-Khaṭīb al-Sharbīnī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "The third pillar is the exhortation to taqwā... The specific wording of this exhortation is not required, according to the most correct view, because the purpose is admonition and the urging of obedience to Allah the Almighty. Therefore, any expression that conveys admonition suffices — whether long or short — such as: 'Obey Allah and be ever mindful of Him.'" [Mughnī al-Muḥtāj,Vol.1/P.550]
Accordingly, what the khaṭīb has done — by commanding obedience to Allah and forbidding disobedience to Him in both sermons — is valid and sufficient. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Can a person required to give kaffarah feed it to their own family members?

The kaffarah must be given to the poor and needy who are not financially dependent on the one giving the kaffarah.
If a person feeds it to their own family members, it does not count as kaffarah, and their obligation remains unfulfilled.

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