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Halal Economy: Encyclopedia of the Halal Industry
Author : Dr. Safwan Odaybat
Date Added : 06-09-2023

Halal Economy: Encyclopedia of the Halal Industry

 

 

One of the most important contemporary scientific encyclopedias that has served the Islamic economy (the field of the halal economy) is the (Encyclopedia of the Halal Industry), which is considered a unique encyclopedic work in the field of the halal industry and its related fatwas and rulings.

This encyclopedia was prepared, compiled, and organized by the (Research Unit of the Fatwa Department) within the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in Kuwait, and the first edition was printed in 2020.

 

The encyclopedia was structured with an academic introduction followed by eleven chapters organized in a jurisprudential manner, divided into three parts. The introduction included important headings as an entry point to the encyclopedia. After discussing the significance of the encyclopedia and its methodology and work plan, it delved into Islam's concern for food and drink, their regulations, and the role of the Fatwa Department in the halal industry. The introduction concluded with Quranic verses, Hadiths, historical accounts, and important terminology related to the halal industry, each discussed separately.

 

As for the chapters of the encyclopedia:

 

In the first part, there are two chapters: the chapter on religious rulings (fatwas) regarding food, and the chapter on religious rulings regarding drinks.

In the second part, there are three chapters: the chapter on religious rulings regarding slaughtering (tazkiyah), the chapter on religious rulings regarding utensils, and the chapter on religious rulings regarding purification and impurity (taharah and najasah).

In the third and final part, there are six chapters: the chapter on religious rulings regarding drugs and intoxicants, the chapter on religious rulings regarding additives, the chapter on religious rulings regarding medicine and treatment, the chapter on religious rulings regarding cosmetic products, the chapter on religious rulings regarding clothing and adornment, and the chapter on miscellaneous religious rulings.

 

The importance of the encyclopedia is highlighted in the following ways:

First: This encyclopedia is unique in its collection of fatwas from scholars of the four major Islamic schools of thought since the second century of the Islamic calendar. It also includes fatwas issued by fatwa bodies and institutions in the Arab and Islamic worlds, as well as the rulings of reputable scholars from the past and contemporary eras, and the decisions of Islamic jurisprudential councils, all related to the halal industry.

 

Second: The encyclopedia contributes to spreading awareness of the intricacies, details, and regulations of the halal industry among students of knowledge, research centers, and the Muslim community at large.

 

Third: The encyclopedia serves as a distinguished reference for understanding the fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and usul (principles) related to the halal industry. These are highlighted with bold text and enclosed in brackets.

 

Fourt: The introductory section of the encyclopedia acts as a credible reference for all the Quranic verses, Hadiths, and narrations related to the halal industry, making it easy for researchers to access them in their scholarly studies.

Fifth: The encyclopedia serves as a reputable reference for essential terminology related to the halal industry.

 

Sixth: It is a trusted and accessible resource for Islamic minority communities living in non-Muslim societies, as it contains fatwas relevant to their specific environments.

 

Seventh: The encyclopedia's methodology involves organizing fatwas within each chapter and categorizing them chronologically. Each fatwa is assigned a sequential number, facilitating easy reference and citation. This approach makes it a unique encyclopedia in terms of its methodology and the organization of its fatwas.

 

In light of this unique encyclopedic endeavor, we express our gratitude to the Fatwa Department in the State of Kuwait. We also hope that all fatwa bodies, research centers, universities, and institutes in the Arab and Islamic worlds will actively contribute to the service of Islamic knowledge and the facilitation of access to it through collective and encyclopedic efforts in all its principles and branches.

 

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible for an elderly person, a pregnant woman, or someone with a chronic illness to pay fidyah before Ramadan begins?

It is not permissible for an elderly person, a pregnant woman, or someone with a chronic illness to pay fidyah before Ramadan begins.
Additionally, it is not allowed to pay fidyah for more than one day in advance, because fidyah is a substitute for fasting, and fasting is not yet obligatory at that time.
However, it is permissible to pay fidyah for a single day in advance, by analogy with paying zakat up to one year in advance.

What is the ruling on someone who possesses cash reaching the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for zakah), and then uses part of it to purchase gold before the ḥawl (lunar year) is complete — must he pay zakāh on all of it [combined], or only on the remaining cash, excluding the gold?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Gold acquired for hoarding and saving is subject to zakāh once it reaches the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for Zakah) — when combined with any cash held — and once a full ḥawl (lunar year) has elapsed over it. The starting point for calculating this ḥawl is the ḥawl of the paper currency [used to purchase it], which had already reached the niṣāb and was then used to purchase the gold.
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.2/p.78): "As for someone who sells silver in exchange for gold, or vice versa, zakāh remains obligatory upon it, since he builds [the calculation of] its ḥawl upon [the ḥawl established at the time of] the original transaction [i.e., when the wealth was first acquired]."
This has already been explained in detail in Fatwa No. 2670 — please refer to it.
And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling if hemorrhoid blood exits after completing ablution?

If this blood is exiting from outside the anus (due to the hemorrhoid protruding), it does not invalidate ablution, because blood exiting from the body from other than the two orifices does not invalidate ablution. If it exits from the anus (meaning from inside it), it invalidates ablution, and one must perform istinja' from it, wash the area of impurity, and repeat the ablution.
However, if this blood exits continuously such that no time remains sufficient for purification and prayer without it flowing, then it takes the ruling of urinary incontinence (sals al-bawl). One then cleanses from it after the time for each prayer enters, performs ablution immediately thereafter, and performs the obligatory prayer immediately. There is no liability upon him after that if something of it flows, and he may pray as many voluntary prayers as he wishes. If he wants to pray another obligatory prayer, he must cleanse himself and perform ablution. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on waiving a debt owed by a debtor and counting it toward zakāh?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Waiving a debt owed by a debtor, with the intention of counting it toward zakāh, does not fulfill the zakāh obligation. Rather, it constitutes an ordinary act of charity, for which Allah rewards the giver generously — since one of the conditions for the validity of zakāh is that the person paying it must form the intention of zakāh at the actual moment the wealth is paid out. In this case, the debt has already been established as a standing obligation upon the borrower, so it is not valid to simply redirect the intention toward zakāh after the fact.
It is preferable, instead, for the creditor to first collect the debt from the debtor, and then return to him the amount of money he is required to pay as zakāh — or a portion of it — if the debtor happens to fall under one of the eight categories that Allah, the Exalted, has commanded be given from zakāh.
It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik, from the books of the Shāfi‘ī school: "If someone gives [money] to a poor person, stipulating that the recipient return it to him in payment of a debt owed to him, or says, 'I am making what you owe me into zakāh, so take it [as such]' — this is not valid. But if he gives it to him with the [unstated] intention that the recipient will use it to repay him, or says, 'Repay what you owe me, so that I may [then separately] give it to you as zakāh,' or the debtor himself says, 'Give it to me, so that I may [then] repay you with it' — this is valid, and there is no binding obligation for the recipient to actually fulfill this [informal understanding]." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.