Articles

On the Occasion of Launching the Iftaa` Department`s Website
Author : Dr Noah Ali Salman
Date Added : 02-04-2024

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions. This website serves as a means for the General Iftaa Department in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to communicate with the Muslim community, receive their questions and inquiries, and provide answers, God willing. Through this website, they can also access the research and information available at the Department that it wishes to share with them. The Department is an official entity as it is one of the academic institutions in the kingdom. Therefore, it is keen on providing accurate and verified answers. It has entrusted a group of muftis working within the Department to answer questions. They formulate the answers and discuss them among themselves, taking into consideration the evidence from the Quran, the Sunna of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), and the deductions of the Islamic jurists whose opinions and interpretations are accepted and respected by the Muslim community. A group of competent researchers assists the muftis. The Department has a committee that addresses issues requiring a collective fatwa (Religious edict). However, for emerging matters, issues of general societal concern, and cases forwarded to the Department by official entities such as ministries, these fall under the jurisdiction of the Iftaa` Council, which comprises a select group of scholars. For matters requiring specialized knowledge, the Council may also seek expertise from specialists in fields like medicine, chemistry, and astronomy. The Department exchanges opinions and expertise with fatwa institutions in the Arab countries. It also welcomes suggestions from readers who have experience in managing such websites. Additionally, we encourage receiving questions related to Islamic sciences, and we pray to Allah for guidance in providing accurate answers. Asking scholars about religious matters is a religious duty. Allah, The Almighty Says (What means): "So ask the people of the message if you do not know" [An-Nahl/43]. The Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) also said: "Why did they not ask when they did not know? The only cure for ignorance is to ask." [Abu Dawood]. This is because a Muslim is keen to ensure that their actions are in accordance with Islamic law. Allah The Exalted Says (what means): "So whoever follows My guidance will neither go astray [in the world] nor suffer [in the Hereafter]" [Taha/123]. In conclusion, we hope to assist our Muslim brothers in understanding the religious rulings so that they may act upon them. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad, and upon his family and companions, all together., all together.

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible for a pious Muslim woman to stay with her husband who had quit praying out of laziness?

Quitting prayer is one of the major grave sins that come after disbelieving in Allah, but the wife of such a person isn`t considered divorced, rather, she should exert all her efforts in order to bring him back to the way of Islam. However, if his sin is likely to lure her from the way of Islam, then she had better separate from him by lawful means such as Mokhal`aa (When a wife pays a compensation for her husband in return for divorcing her). Moreover, if she exercises patience, and remains steadfast on her faith, then there is no harm in doing that.

What is the amount of food to be given to a needy person for fidyah and kaffarah?

The amount of food to be given to a needy person is 600 grams of wheat or rice.
According to the Hanafi school, it is permissible to give the monetary equivalent instead, and this is the ruling issued by the General Iftaa` Department.

What is the ruling on undoing braids of hair during the ritual bath?

It is not a condition to undo braids if the water reaches all the hair and penetrates to its base. If the water does not reach except by undoing the braids, then it is obligatory to undo them for the water to reach. 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.