Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(170)"Ruling on Benefiting from what Remains from the Lands Endowed for Building Mosques after Fulfilling the Purpose for which they were Endowed"

Date Added : 27-10-2015

Resolution No.(170)(11/2011) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies: "Ruling on Benefiting from what Remains  from the Lands Endowed for Building Mosques after Fulfilling the Purpose for which they were Endowed"
Date: 25/9/1432 AH, corresponding to 25/8/2011 AD.

 

Praise be to Allah, peace and blessings be upon   Prophet Muhammad and upon His Family and companions.

During the above given date, the Board reviewed the question of the Director General of the Awqaf Funds Development Foundation, which reads as follows:
What is the ruling of Sharia on investing the remaining part of the plots of land which were endowed for building mosques after having built them?
After prolonged deliberation, the Board decided what follows:
Muslim jurists are of the view that a Waqf(an endowment) is neither to be sold, given as a present nor bequeathed; rather, it should be spent on any charitable field that it is endowed for and that( the condition set by the donor is tantamount to the stipulation made by the law-giver).
This is emphasized by the texts of Sharia, such as the following narrations:" When `Umar got a piece of land in Khaibar, he came to the Prophet (PBUH) saying, "I have got a piece of land, better than which I have never got. So what do you advise me regarding it?" The Prophet (PBUH) said, "If you wish you can keep it as an endowment to be used for charitable purposes." So, `Umar gave the land in charity (i.e. as an endowments on the condition that the land would neither be sold nor given as a present, nor bequeathed, (and its yield) would be used for the poor, the kinsmen, the emancipation of slaves, Jihad, and for guests and travelers; and its administrator could eat in a reasonable just manner, and he also could feed his friends without intending to be wealthy by its means."{Related by Bukhari}. Also, Abu Talhah came to Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and said, "Allah says in His Book: 'By no means shall you attain Al-Birr, unless you spend (in Allah's Cause) of that which you love,' and the dearest of my property is Bairuha' so I have given it as Sadaqah (charity) for Allah's sake, and I anticipate its reward with Him; so spend it, O Messenger of Allah, as Allah guides you."{Bukhari and Muslim}.
The majority of the Muslim jurists have defined a Waqf as keeping the endowed thing and using it for charitable purposes. This indicates that a Waqf should be spent on any charitable field that it is endowed for in line with the condition set by the donor. Therefore, if his condition was fulfilled and part of the endowed land remained, then it is permissible to invest that part for the benefit of the Waqf.
Accordingly, it is permissible to invest the parts of the lands which were endowed for building mosques after having built them.
However, mosques built on these lands should meet the following conditions:
First: The donor hasn`t  clearly stipulated using his land for a purpose other than building a mosque.
Second: The revenue of the investment should be to the benefit of the Waqf .
Third: The investment shouldn`t affect the use of the mosque and its expansion in the future. And Allah knows best.

 

Chairman of the Iftaa` Board :
The General Mufti of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan:His Eminence , Abd Al-Kareem Al-Khasawneh
Vice Head of Iftaa` Board:  His Eminence Dr. Ahmad Hilayel
Dr.Yahia Al-Botosh/member
His Eminence :Sheikh Sa`id Al-Hijawi/member
Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-Essa/member
His Honor : Judge Sari Attieh/member
.Dr.Abdulrahman Ibdaah/member
Dr.Mohammad Oglah Al-Ibrahim/member
Dr.Abdulnasir Abulbasal/member
Dr.Mohammad Al-Zo`bi/member
Dr.Mohammad Al-Gharaibeh/member
Executive Secretary of Iftaa`Board:Sheikh Mohammad Al-Hinaiti

Decision Number [ Previous | Next ]


Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on someone who possesses gold with the intention of saving/hoarding it, and owns nothing else — is he obligated to sell a portion of it in order to pay the zakāh due on it?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Zakāh becomes immediately obligatory on cash, and likewise on gold — that which is not designated for a woman's personal adornment— once both reach the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for zakah) and a full ḥawl (lunar year) has passed over them. It is not permissible to delay payment when it is genuinely possible to pay — meaning, when the wealth and the eligible recipients are both available. It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.2/p.129): "Zakāh is obligatory immediately once it becomes feasible to pay it, meaning when the wealth and the eligible recipients are both present."
The one paying zakāh must discharge the obligatory zakāh due on saved (hoarded) gold either from the gold itself, or from its equivalent monetary value, in the event that no other funds are available — since paying from the gold itself is the original default (al-aṣl). It becomes permissible to pay from other funds instead only because zakāh is built upon the principle of ease and leniency, as stated in Asnā al-Maṭālib (Vol.1/p.366): "When a full ḥawl has elapsed on wealth other than trade goods... zakāh attaches to the actual asset itself (al-‘ayn), and the poor effectively become partners in it — even, for example, [becoming partners] in camels through the value of a sheep [owed as zakāh on them]... Paying from other wealth is permitted only because zakāh is built upon the principle of ease and leniency."
Accordingly: the one paying zakāh must discharge it either from the actual saved gold itself, or by selling a portion of the gold equal to the amount of zakāh owed. He may also borrow money to pay the zakāh, or pay the zakāh in installments before the ḥawl is complete [as an advance payment]. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Is it permissible for a wife to give her money to her family as a charity, or a gift without asking her husband, or seeking his consent?

The wife has the right to give her money as a charity, or a gift to her family, or to other people after consulting her husband out of respect, and this is the meaning of treating on footing of kindness and equity. Therefore, if he wanted to stop her from helping her family, then there is no harm in not telling him.

Should nail polish be removed before making ablution?

Yes, it should be removed because it prevents water from reaching the nails.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on a menstruating woman (ḥā'iḍ) reciting the Islamic ruqyah (Qur'anic/spiritual healing)?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is permissible for a person in a state of janābah (major ritual impurity), or a menstruating woman (ḥā'iḍ), or a woman in postpartum bleeding (nufasā'), to recite for the purpose of ruqyah (spiritual/Qur'anic healing), even if this includes some verses of the Noble Qur'an — whether recited from memory or by looking at the Muṣ-ḥaf (the physical copy of the Qur'an) without touching or carrying it — provided that the intention behind the recitation is ruqyah, protection (taḥṣīn), and remembrance (dhikr), not the intention of tilāwah (Qur'anic recitation as an act of worship in itself). This remains permissible even if what is recited is an entire sūrah, such as Sūrat al-Mulk.
Imam al-Khaṭīb ash-Shirbīnī (raḥimahullāh) said: "It is lawful for a person in janābah to utter its [the Qur'an's] remembrances and other content — such as its admonitions, its narratives, and its rulings — so long as it is not with the intention of [reciting] Qur'an. [This is] like his saying upon mounting [a vehicle]: 'Glory be to Him Who has subjected this to us, and we could never have accomplished this [by ourselves]' [Sūrat az-Zukhruf: 13] — meaning, [could never have] been capable of it — or upon a calamity: 'Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we shall return'... In fact, my teacher, ash-Shihāb ar-Ramlī, issued a fatwā that even if he recited the entire Qur'an without the intention of [reciting] Qur'an, it would be permissible." [Summarized from Mughnī al-Muḥtāj, Vol. 1/P.217] And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.