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

Is the niṣāb calculated based on the price of 21-karat gold, or 24-karat gold?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Zakāh is obligatory on cash and on gold designated for saving or for trade, provided the total reaches the niṣāb (minimum threshold liable for zakah), and a full ḥawl (lunar year) has elapsed over it. The niṣāb is (85) grams of 24-karat gold; for 21-karat gold, the niṣāb equals (97) grams; and for 18-karat gold, it equals (113) grams.
The relied-upon position is to calculate the zakāh based on the buying price [i.e., the price the gold merchant would pay the owner to purchase the gold from him] on the day the zakāh obligation is due.
The one paying zakāh may assess/calculate the niṣāb using any of the aforementioned gold karats [i.e., he may choose whichever karat standard he wishes for the purpose of the calculation]. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

I vowed to give a specific charity if a certain matter came to pass — what is the ruling on giving that charity before the matter is realised?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Fulfilling a vow (nadhr) is obligatory, in accordance with the word of Allah the Almighty: "And let them fulfil their vows." [Al-Ḥajj/ 29] And the saying of our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: "Whoever vows to obey Allah, let him obey Him; and whoever vows to disobey Him, let him not disobey Him." (Reported by al-Bukhārī.)
The Shāfiʿī scholars distinguished between a financial vow (nadhr mālī) and a bodily vow (nadhr badanī). They permitted the fulfilment of a financial vow to be brought forward — before the stipulated condition is met — but did not permit the same for a bodily vow, which may only be fulfilled after the condition has actually been realised.
Shaykh al-Islām Imām Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "It is permissible to bring forward the fulfilment of a financial vow before the condition stipulated in it is met — such as saying: 'If I am healed, I vow to free a slave' or 'to give such-and-such in charity' — just as it is permissible to pay zakāh in advance. This is unlike a bodily vow, such as fasting." [Asnā al-Maṭālib, vol. 4/P.246]
Imām al-Bājūrī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Like expiation other than fasting, a financial vow — such as saying: 'If Allah heals my sick one, I vow to free a slave for the sake of Allah,' or 'If Allah heals my sick one, I vow to free a slave on the Friday following the recovery' — it is permissible to bring it forward before the recovery in the first case, and before the Friday following the recovery in the second case." [Ḥāshiyat al-Bājūrī ʿalā Sharḥ Ibn Qāsim, Vol.2/P.596] And Allah the Almighty knows best.

I`m in love with a certain man, and want to marry him in particular, but my family refused that, what should I do?

The father should know what is in the best interest of his daughter and consider her situation. On her part, the daughter should trust her father`s view point as far as suitors are concerned. Moreover, it is prohibited for any woman, or girl to get involved in a relation with a non-Mahram (Marriageable man).

What is the ruling on using moisturizing creams on the skin during the day in Ramadan?

Using moisturizing creams on the skin does not break the fast because they do not enter the body cavity (jauf). Any absorption that occurs through the skin pores does not count as entering through an open passage.