Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(155): "Ruling on the Loan Conditioned by Making a Fixed Monthly Payment to a Solidarity Fund whose Benefit Goes to the Borrowers"

Date Added : 02-11-2015

 

Resolution No.(155)(20/2010) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on the Loan Conditioned by Making a Fixed Monthly Payment to a Solidarity Fund whose Benefit Goes to the Borrowers"

Date: 26/12/1431 AH, corresponding to 2/12/2010 AD.

 

 

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

During its eleventh session held on the above date, the Board reviewed the following question:

I`m a government employee and I have received (22000) JDs as a housing loan. Upon collecting that sum, I found out that I should pay (100) JDs as stamps, and that there was a solidarity fund related to the Employees Housing Fund by which (5) JDs are deducted monthly besides the installment, regardless of the loan`s value, which ranges between (15000) and (30000) JDs. It is worth mentioning that the repayment period is (20) years and this applies to all the employees, regardless of the loan`s value. By conclusion, each employee pays (1200) JDs to the solidarity fund over twenty years, knowing that in case an employee dies, this fund pays off all his unpaid installments, regardless of the amount due to the Housing Fund, whether it was (30000) or one JD, and his heirs aren`t liable for repaying any sum.

After thorough deliberations, the Board decided what follows:

The above loan is permissible because the value of the stamps goes to the public treasury, so there is no harm in paying that amount. Moreover, it isn`t usurious because in usury it is a condition that the loan brings profit to the loaner himself; whereas, the value of the stamps goes to the state, not the loaner.

As regards the payments made to the solidarity fund, they are permissible as well, because it enhances solidarity amongst the borrowers. However, each fund should have its independent account so that payments made to the solidarity fund aren`t re-loaned by the Employees Housing Fund. This way eliminates  the suspicion of usury.

It is better that you (questioner) pay the whole amount due to the solidarity fund at the beginning so that nothing gets deducted from the loan or added to it; rather, paying that amount in advance should be a condition for taking the loan. This way, the contract becomes free from the suspicion of usury. We advise participants to pay that amount in advance as a kind of grant or donation. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Head of the Iftaa` Board, The Grand Mufti of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, His Grace Sheikh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh

Vice Head of the Iftaa` Board, Dr. Ahmad Hilayel

Dr. Yahia Al-Botoosh/ Member

His Eminence, Sheikh Sa`ied Hijjawi/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-Essa

Judge Sarrie Attieh

Dr. Abdulrahman Ibbdah/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Oklah/ Member

Dr. Abduln`nassir Abu Al Bass`al/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Gharaibeh/ Member

Executive Secretary of the Iftaa` Board, Sheikh Mohammad Al-Hunaiti

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Where should a woman following her husband or another man in prayer stand?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
If a single woman prays with a man—whether she is his wife or a non-mahram (Ajnabiyyah)—the Sunnah is for her to stand behind the Imam and be shielded by him. If the Imam is leading both a man and a woman, the man should stand to the Imam's right, and the woman should stand behind the male follower (Muqtadi). In this way, she is shielded from the Imam by the male follower and remains at a distance from the follower and his line of sight. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

Can Zakah or Zakat al-Fitr be given to a poor brother?

Yes, it is allowed to give Zakah or Zakat al-Fitr to a poor brother, as he is considered among the eligible recipients.

What is the ruling if a postpartum woman becomes pure before forty days; are acts of worship obligatory upon her, and is she permissible for her husband?

If the postpartum woman becomes definitely pure before forty days, she must perform the ritual bath and perform acts of worship as a pure woman does. What was prohibited for her also becomes permissible, so she becomes permissible for her husband after her bath. The minimum duration for postpartum bleeding is a moment (an instant), and its usual maximum is forty days. Reaching forty days is not a condition; rather, it is sufficient for the blood to stop or to see the white discharge (qassa bayda'). And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
There is no objection to participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers, provided that the buyer's intention in purchasing is not merely to enter the competition without any need for what is bought — rather, the purchase must be genuinely intended for the item itself, and one must not pay more than the item's fair market price. This is because paying an amount above the market price would effectively be paying a fee to enter the prize draw, which would render it a form of gambling (qimār).
These prizes are, in essence, gifts that businesses offer through a random drawing (qur'ah) to those who purchase from them, as a means of encouraging sales, without the customer bearing any additional monetary cost for participation. So long as the aforementioned conditions are met, there is no objection to benefiting from the prize offered by the store, as it is considered a lawful prize from the viewpoint of Islamic Law.
It is stated in the resolutions of the "Jordanian Iftaa' Board" (Resolution No. 47), in the context of outlining the conditions for permissible prizes: "The price of the ticket [or item purchased] for the sake of the prize must not exceed its original price, so that there is no payment of money in exchange for participation in the draw." And Allah, the Most High, knows best.