Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(173): "Ruling on Importing Shoes Made from Swine`s Skin"

Date Added : 02-11-2015

Resolution No.(173)(5/2012) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Importing Shoes Made from Swine`s Skin"

Date: 25/6/1433 AH, corresponding to 17/5/2012 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.

On the above date, the Board reviewed the question asked by His Excellency, the Director-General of the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization and it reads as follows: What is the ruling of Islamic Sharia on a company that intends to import shoes made from swine`s flesh?

After prolonged deliberations, the Board decided what follows:

It is forbidden to manufacture shoes, clothes and other products from swine`s skin, as indicated by the following verse: "Say: "I find not in the message received by me by inspiration any (meat) forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be dead meat, or blood poured forth, or the flesh of swine,- for it is an abomination - or, what is impious, (meat) on which a name has been invoked, other than God’s". {Al-An`am/145}.

Interpreters of the Quran stated that the above verse indicates that all the parts of swine are forbidden; however, its flesh was mentioned because it is the most utilized part. A proof of this is the Hadith of Jabir, where swine has been absolutely forbidden. Jabir b. 'Abdullah (Allah be pleased with them) reported Allah's Messenger (PBUH) as saying in the Year of Victory while he was in Mecca:

Verily Allah and His Messenger have forbidden the sale of wine, carcass, swine and idols, It was said: Allah's Messenger, you see that the fat of the carcass is used for coating the boats and varnishing the hides and people use it for lighting purposes, whereupon he said: No, it is forbidden, Then Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said: May Allah the Exalted and Majestic destroy the Jews; when Allah forbade the use of fat of the carcass for them, they melted it, and then sold it and made use of its price (received from it)." {Agreed upon}.

The filthy or impure can`t be made pure by tanning, as stated by the renowned scholar Ibn Abdeen (May Allah bless him), who said: "Because it is filthy as a whole, dead or alive, its filth of blood is unlike that of other animals; therefore, purifying it is unacceptable." {Rad Al-Mohtar}. Al-Imam Al-Khasani (May Allah bless him) said: "The sale of swine`s skin is invalid because it is filthy as a whole." {Bada`I As`sanai`}.

The accredited opinion of the four jurists is that swine is forbidden, and  utilizing from any of its parts is forbidden as well because it is filthy.

Accordingly, the Board of Iftaa` is of the view that it is forbidden to trade with all the products of swine and it advises Muslim traders not to buy what Allah has forbidden and not to bring such filth into the Muslim`s markets. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Chairman 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, Prof. Ahmad Helayel

His Excellency, Prof. Abdulsalam Al-Abbadi/ Member

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

His Eminence, Sheikh Sa`ied Hijjawi/ Member

Pro. Mohammad Al-Qhodat/ Member

Dr. Yahia Al-Botoosh/ Member

Dr. Wasif Al-Bakhri

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-Essa/ Member

Dr.Mohammad Al-Zou`bi/ Member

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on eating or drinking forgetfully during the day in Ramadan or during voluntary fasting?

Whoever eats or drinks forgetfully while fasting, whether in an obligatory or voluntary fast, should continue their fast, for it is Allah who has provided them with food and drink. There is no difference between obligatory and voluntary fasting in this ruling.

What is the ruling on water that contains ornamental fish — does it become impure on account of their waste?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The water in a pond containing ornamental fish is pure so long as it has not been altered, for a small amount of fish waste (rawth) is pardoned and overlooked — provided it does not change the water.
It is stated in Ḥāshiyat al-Jamal ʿalā Sharḥ al-Manhaj (Vol.1/P.178): "A small amount of hair from a non-edible animal is pardoned, as is a small amount of hair from a riding animal — on account of the hardship involved in avoiding it — and likewise a small amount of fish waste is pardoned, unless it alters the water." And Allah the Almighty knows best.

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.

What is the ruling on mentioning Allah`s name upon slaughtering an animal?

In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is a Sunnah (prophetic tradition) for the person slaughtering to say: "Bismillah" (In the Name of Allah), though the most complete and perfect phrasing is to say: "Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim" (In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful). This is in accordance with the words of Allah Almighty: "So eat of that [meat] upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned." (Al-An'am/118)
 
However, pronouncing it is not an obligatory requirement (Wajib). If someone omits it—whether deliberately or out of forgetfulness—the meat remains entirely lawful (Halal) to eat, though purposely omitting it is considered disliked (Makruh). And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.