Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(75): “Ruling on the System Applied by the Housing Fund of Jordan Phosphate Mines Company“

Date Added : 02-11-2015

 

Resolution No.(75): “System Applied by the Housing Fund of Jordan Phosphate Mines Company“

Date: 22/3/1425, corresponding to 12/5/2004 AD.

 

The Board received the following question:

What is the ruling of Islamic Sharia on the system applied by the housing fund of JPMC?

Answer: All success is due to Allah.

The Board is of the following view:

1- Loans granted by the above fund entail usurious interests as indicated in articles (9, 15, 16, 17, and 18) and this violates the rules of Sharia pertaining to the prohibition of usurious loans, for Allah Says in this regard: “but God hath permitted trade and forbidden usury.” {Al-Baqarah/2}.

2- Deducting (500fils) from the salary of every subscribing employee as a contribution for social solidarity is permissible according to Islamic Sharia, because it is based on cooperation which is promoted by Islam. Allah The Exalted Says in this regard {What means}: “Help ye one another in righteousness and piety, but help ye not one another in sin and rancour: fear Allah, for Allah is strict in punishment.” {Al-Mai`dah/2}.

3- Deducting (0, 0015) annually from the value of the loan (as an allowance for services provided by the fund and for social solidarity) isn`t permissible in Islamic Sharia because there lies the reason behind the prohibition of usury. However, it is permissible to deduct a specific, reasonable and fixed sum in return for administrative services of each loan, regardless of its amount and repayment span since the effort involved is the same. Nonetheless, there should be no mixing between the sum charged in return for administrative services and that charged for social solidarity.

4- Housing and life insurance of subscribers isn`t permissible in Sharia because it involves usury and gambling, which are classified as contracts of uncertainty and compulsion. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Chairman of the Iftaa` Board, Chief Justice, Izzaldeen At-Tamimi
Dr. Ahmad Hilayel
Dr. Yousef Ghyzaan
Dr. Abdulsalam Al-Abbadi
Dr. Wasif Abdulwahaab
Sheikh Saeid Hijjawi
Dr. Mohammad Abu Yahia
Sheikh Nai`em Mujahid
Sheikh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh

 

 

 

 

 

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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 recommended (mustaḥabb) for the one offering  a voluntary sacrifice (uḍḥiyyat taṭawwuʿ) to eat from its meat?

In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is highly recommended (Mustahabb) for the person offering a voluntary Udhiyah (sacrificial animal) to eat from its meat, but it is not an obligatory requirement (Wajib). Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "So eat of them and feed the needy who do not beg and the beggar. Thus have We subjected them to you that you may be grateful." (Al-Hajj/ 36)
 
"So eat of them": This directive is an encouraging recommendation, not a binding command.
 
The Qani’ (the needy who do not beg): Refers to a poor person who refrains from asking people for help out of dignity.
 
The Mu’tarr (the beggar): Refers to a poor person who explicitly asks others for assistance. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

What is the ruling on Zakat al-Fitr?

Zakat al-Fitr is obligatory upon every Muslim for themselves and for those they are financially responsible for, provided they possess wealth that is surplus to their and their family's needs on the night and day of Eid.
Ibn Umar reported: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ made Zakat al-Fitr obligatory—one sa‘ (measure) of dates or one sa‘ of barley—upon every Muslim, whether slave or free, male or female, young or old." [Narrated by Al-Bukhari]
Its estimated amount is approximately 2,500 grams of wheat or rice, and the General Iftaa` Department issues an annual ruling specifying its monetary value.

Is it permissible to give Zakah (obligatory charity) to one`s poor sister, or brother?

It is permissible for one to give the Zakah to his poor sister, or brother if providing for them isn`t due on him, and the sister doesn`t receive sufficient provision from whomever that is due on. And Allah Knows Best.