Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(106): “Ruling on Foreign Exchange Offices“

Date Added : 02-11-2015

 

Resolution No.(106) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:  

“ Ruling on Foreign Exchange Offices “

Date: 26/4/1472 AH, 24/5/2006 AD

 

 

Question: What is the ruling on foreign exchange offices that deal in foreign exchange speculation, American Stock Exchange (AMEX), gold, silver and petrol.

The way such offices operate can be clarified as follows: The client makes a deposit e.g.(5000) dollars and the office offers him credit facilities up to (50.000), but when the loss reaches (5000), the client loses his money and the office closes his account and the opposite is true in case of profit?

Answer:

The Board is of the view that such transaction is forbidden in Islamic Law {Sharia} because the money which the office lends to the client is conditioned by trading in foreign exchange with none other than it. In this case, it is a tied loan: no credit facilities to the client unless he adheres to dealing with the office alone. Moreover, the office`s profit is assured while the client`s isn`t, and this is tantamount to gambling.

This is in addition to the fact that this transaction is conducted without mutual reception in the place where the transaction was concluded. Also, the office sells and buys that which isn`t in its possession and this has been disapproved and forbidden by the Prophet (PBUH). And Allah Knows Best.

 

 

Chairman of the Iftaa` Board

Chief Justice/ Dr. Ahmad Hilayel

Dr. Abdusalam Al-Abbadi                                      Dr. Yousef Ghaidahn

Dr. Abdolmajeed As-Salaheen                              Sheikh Sai`ed Hijjawi

Dr. Wasif Al-Bakri                                         Sheikh Abdulkareem Khasawneh

Sheikh Na`iem Mujjahid

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on obtaining financing from Islamic banks by bringing invoices in prior arrangement with the seller, then taking the cash after the financing is approved — with the purpose of settling debts and buying a car?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It appears from the transaction described that its underlying purpose is to obtain cash through resorting to a legal artifice (ḥīlah/tawarruq-style trick), and it is not permissible to engage in such trickery or to coordinate with the various parties merely to obtain liquidity. This is because such artifices bring the sale closer in reality to a ribā-based (usurious) transaction, even if it outwardly appears otherwise.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not commit what the Jews committed, thereby making lawful what Allah has made unlawful through the flimsiest of tricks." This was related by Ibn Baṭṭah in his book Ibṭāl al-Ḥiyal (p. 47), and many scholars have graded it as ḥasan (sound/acceptable).
We have already explained the impermissibility of engaging in such deceptive dealings with Islamic banks in Fatwa No. 516, so please refer to it. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Is it permissible for a husband to sell his wife`s jewelry if he was in a hard up?

A woman`s jewelry and dowry are her own property, and it is forbidden for the husband to take either without obtaining her approval. However, it is desirable for the wife to support her husband through considering her jewelry a sort of documented debt on him.

What is the ruling on bypassing a nearby mosque for a distant one?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
If a distant mosque has a larger congregation (Jama‘ah) while the congregation in the nearby mosque is smaller, and the congregation in the nearby mosque is not adversely affected by the worshiper's absence, then it is better for him to pray in the distant mosque with the larger congregation. However, if the congregation in the nearby mosque would be affected by his absence—such as if he is its Imam, or if his presence encourages others to attend—then praying in the nearby mosque is better. This ensures that the congregation is established in two different locations within the community. This is based on the saying of the Prophet ﷺ: 'A man's prayer offered with another man is purer than his prayer which he offers alone, and his prayer with two men is purer than his prayer with one and if they are more (in number), it is more beloved to Allah, the Mighty the Majestic' (Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, and An-Nasa'i). And Allah the Exalted knows best.

Is it permissible for a woman who has become pure before the end of forty days of confinement to perform different acts of worship? and is it lawful for her husband to have sex with her?

Once postpartum bleeding ceases and she is certain that it won`t happen again, she becomes pure, and so she should perform Ghusl (ritual bath), pray, and fast. She can also have sex with her husband even before the end of (40) days because the minimum of postpartum bleeding is a moment, and the maximum is (60) days. However, the postpartum bleeding for the majority of women is (40) days, but this does not apply to rest of them.