Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(233): "Ruling on Producing Non-Alcoholic Drinks Using the Same Line that Produces Alcoholic Drinks"

Date Added : 20-03-2017

Resolution No.(233)(1/2017) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Producing Non-Alcoholic Drinks Using the Same Line that Produces Alcoholic Drinks"

Date: (7/Jumada Al-Akhirah/1438 AH), corresponding to (6/3/2017).

 

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

 

During the second session held on the above date, the Board reviewed the question sent from the Director-General of Food and Drug Administration, His Excellency Dr. Obeidat, and it reads as follows:

Could your Grace clarify the ruling of Sharia on the letter of the Jordan Company for Investments in which they demand canning non-alcoholic drinks using the exact line that produces alcoholic drinks after having that line cleaned thoroughly with water, steam and different sterilizers, and after every produced quantity. It is worth noting that the preparation process of both types of drinks is completely separated. Moreover, the Company is willing to test different samples from the non-alcoholic drinks to make sure that they are alcohol-free, and that the product itself matches the technical specifications set for it?

Answer: After deliberations, the Board decided the following:

Prudence in matters related to drinks is among the essentials of Ijtihad (Independent reasoning), and it relies on many an evidence from Sharia. One of these is that the Prophet (PBUH) prohibited his companions from storing non-alcoholic drinks in certain utensils, namely Al-Hantam (pitcher smeared with pitch) and the Gourd because they could cause the liquid to be become intoxicating. Therefore, this prohibition aims to prevent harm.

Accordingly, the Iftaa` Board is of the view that it isn`t permissible for any factory to produce lawful drinks using the exact production line of unlawful drinks. This is in order to leave no room for error during the production process and to prohibit what may lead to committing sins. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Grand Mufti of Jordan

Vice-Chairman of Iftaa` Board/Sheikh Abdulkareem Khasawneh

Prof. Abdullah Al-Fawaaz/Member

Sheikh Sa`eid Hijjawee/Member

Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-Esa/Member

Judge Khaled Wuraikat/Member

Dr. Mohammad al-Zou`bi/Member

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

 
What is the ruling on someone who eats or drinks while uncertain about the arrival of dawn, then later finds out that dawn had not yet broken?

If a person does this, their fast remains valid, as it is confirmed that they ate during the night. Similarly, if someone eats while uncertain and remains unsure whether they ate before or after dawn, their fast is still valid. This is based on the maxim of Sharia Law, which states: "Certainty is not removed by doubt." Certainty, here, is the presence of night, and the doubt concerns the arrival of dawn. Therefore, one relies on certainty and disregards doubt.

If a traveler settles or a sick person recovers while fasting, is it permissible for them to break their fast?

● If a sick person starts the day fasting and then recovers during the day, they must complete their fast.
● If a traveler starts the day fasting and then settles (returns or stops traveling) during the day, they must also complete their fast.
● It is forbidden for both of them to break their fast because the concession (rukhsah) is no longer valid once its reason disappears.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law regarding one who purchases a sacrificial animal (uḍḥiyah) and it then develops a defect before slaughter?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
If a defect that invalidates the sacrifice (uḍḥiyah) arises after its purchase — for example, if one purchased a sound, defect-free animal, and it then developed a limp, blindness in one eye, or a similar defect before slaughter — it does not fulfill the requirement of a valid uḍḥiyah, according to the Shāfi'ī school.
It is stated in Asnā al-Maṭālib fī Sharḥ Rawḍ al-Ṭālib (Vol.1/P.535): "Even if the limp develops [in the animal] while the knife is upon it, it still does not fulfill the requirement, because it is lame at the moment of slaughter — this is analogous to a case where a sheep's leg breaks and one hastens to slaughter it [in that condition]."
The Ḥanbalī school, however, held that if the one offering the sacrifice purchased the animal while it was sound and defect-free, and a defect then befell it afterward, the sacrifice remains valid and there is no obligation to replace it.
It is stated in Masā'il al-Imām Aḥmad, one of the Ḥanbalī reference works (Vol.8/P.4021): "I said: If a person purchases the sacrificial animal while it is sound, and it is then afflicted with illness, blindness in one eye, or a broken limb [before slaughter]? He [Imam Aḥmad] said: It is said that it still fulfills the requirement. Isḥāq said likewise, because he purchased it while sound, and the defect befell it only afterward, so it remains sufficient on his behalf." [End of quote]
Accordingly, a sheep afflicted with a defect that invalidates the sacrifice does not fulfill the requirement of a valid uḍḥiyah — whether the defect arose after purchase or during the slaughter itself — according to the Shāfi'ī school. However, there is no objection to following the Ḥanbalī position on this matter [as a valid alternative]. And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

Is it valid to perform Tarawih prayer at home?

It is Sunnah for a Muslim to perform Tarawih prayer in congregation at the mosque.
However, if a person sometimes prays it at home in congregation with their family for a valid reason, there is no harm in doing so.