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An Official Statement from the General Iftaa' Department
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 10-05-2026

An Official Statement from the General Iftaa' Department

(The Station of our Master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is One of Reverence and Veneration — and He was the First to Interpret the Noble Qur'an and Clarify its Meanings)

The General Iftaa' Department affirms that describing our Master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as ummī — unlettered — is a description of perfection and honour, and it is entirely impermissible for this description to be used in any way that diminishes his noble station ﷺ. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "Say: O mankind, indeed I am the Messenger of Allah to you all — He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. There is no deity except Him; He gives life and causes death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, who believes in Allah and His words, and follow him so that you may be guided." [Al-A'rāf/158]

His not having read or written prior to his noble prophethood ﷺ is in fact a testament to his miracle — for Allah the Almighty revealed the Noble Qur'an to him and taught him from Himself beneficial knowledge and principles that illuminate all that was sent down to him. Through this, he surpassed philosophers, legislators, historians, and masters of the natural and physical sciences. His being unlettered, combined with the knowledge he possessed that puts in order the affairs of this world and the next, is the clearest proof that what he spoke was nothing other than divine revelation from Allah the Almighty.

The Prophetic Sunnah — comprising his words and deeds ﷺ — is the second source of Islamic legislation. It contains the explanation and interpretation of the words of Allah the Almighty, whether it comes as an elucidation of the Qur'an's meanings and rulings, or as rulings not explicitly mentioned in the Qur'an itself. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you, refrain from it." [Al-Ḥashr/7] He also says {what means}: "And We have sent down to you the Reminder so that you may make clear to the people what was sent down to them, and that they might reflect." [Al-Naḥl/44]

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was the first to interpret the Noble Qur'an, and it is impermissible to separate what the Prophet ﷺ brought independently from what he brought as an explanation of the words of Allah — for both are revelation from Allah the Almighty. He says {what means}: "Nor does he speak from his own desire. It is not but a revelation revealed." [Al-Najm/3–4] And the Prophet ﷺ himself said: "Indeed I have been given the Qur'an and something like it alongside it." — Narrated in the Musnad of Imam Aḥmad.

In this context, we make clear that it is not permissible for anyone to undertake the interpretation of the Noble Qur'an and the pure Sunnah, or the derivation of Sharia rulings, without having acquired the essential Islamic sciences that enable a sound understanding of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet ﷺ — such as the principles of jurisprudence (uṣūl al-fiqh), the sciences of the Arabic language, and other related disciplines. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "So ask the people of knowledge if you do not know." [Al-Naḥl/43]

We also caution strongly against the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his noble Sunnah being treated as content for social media platforms — turned into material for mockery, ridicule, and the accumulation of views. This is entirely unacceptable and constitutes a grave violation of the reverence owed to him ﷺ.

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Summarized Fatawaa

How to pay Zakah (obligatory charity) due on articles of merchandise?

Articles of merchandise are estimated by their whole sale market price at the end of each lunar year, and (2.5%) of their value is paid as Zakah whether it (value) went up, or down compared to actual purchasing price, and whether the increase (profit) was in the article itself such as an increase in the animal`s weight, or in the prices themselves. And Allah Knows Best.

What should a person, who doubts the validity of his Wudu, or over performs it, do?

One who doubts the validity of his/her Wudu while performing it should redo it until he/she is certain of having attained purity. But, if doubt was after having performed Wudu, then he/she should not pay attention to that as doubt after the end of an act of worship does not count. This is of course in case doubt was within the reasonable limits since once it goes beyond that, it becomes a whispering of the Shaytaan (devil) which he/she should ignore as the Wudu is valid.

What is the ruling on forgiving a tenant next month's rent, with the intention of counting it toward zakāh al-māl?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It does not fulfill the obligation to count the rent owed on a house, or a portion of it, in lieu of zakāh. Rather, it is necessary to first transfer ownership of the zakāh amount to the poor person directly; only afterward may he be asked to pay the rent [from that money].
It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik (p. 112): "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]."
We would also remind [the reader] of the ḥadīth of the Prophet ﷺ: "The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim: he does not wrong him, nor does he abandon him [to harm]. Whoever attends to the needs of his brother, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will attend to his needs. Whoever relieves a Muslim of a hardship, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will relieve him of one of the hardships of the Day of Resurrection. And whoever conceals [the faults of] a Muslim, Allah will conceal him on the Day of Resurrection." (Agreed upon). And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What can a menstruating woman do on Laylat al-Qadr?

If a menstruating woman engages in remembrance of Allah (dhikr), supplication (du‘a), and sincere devotion, she has indeed observed Laylat al-Qadr. She may also listen to the Quran from audio sources such as the radio or television.

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