Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(237): "Emphasizing an Earlier Resolution about Brain Death"

Date Added : 31-05-2017

Resolution No.(237)(5/2017) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Emphasizing an Earlier Resolution about Brain Death"

Date: (27/Sha`aban/1438 AH), corresponding to (24/5/2017 AD).

 

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.

On its fifth session held on the above date, the Board reviewed the following question: Based on the recommendations of the Third International Medical-Fiqh Conference held under the patronage of your eminence at the World Islamic Sciences and Education University, we hope that your eminence would clarify the final stand of Sharia on Fatwa No. (2011) concerning the donation of  human organs.

After deliberations, the Board decided the following:

The Board has already issued a resolution considering brain death as actual death upon which all rulings of a dead person apply. It is resolution No. (11), 1988. At that time, this resolution has adopted the theme of resolution No. (5/3)(1986), by the International Islamic Assembly which was held in Amman at that time.

On its part the Iftaa` Board emphasizes the content of Resolution (11) and recommend adhering to it.

The states in it and has deemed the following: From the view point of Sharia, a person is considered dead and the Sharia rulings of the dead apply to him/her if any of the following signs is present:

1- His/her heart has stopped beating and his/her breath has totally stopped, and the doctors decided that he/she can`t be revived.

2- His/her brain functions have totally stopped, his/her brain started decomposing, and the expert medical specialists ruled that this brain is totally dead and can`t be revived. In this case, he/she is considered dead although his/her heart is still beating by being on life support equipmets. In this case (2), it is permissible for the doctors to take them away, but they can`t rule that this person is dead unless they are absolutely certain of the following:

1- All conditions of brain death are present.

2- Other causes of comma are excluded.

3- The reflexes of the brain`s core have totally stopped.

4- Running all the necessary medical tests which prove that breathing has stopped.

5- Electricity is static while performing brain scanning.

6- Running any necessary medical tests to ascertain that the brain is dead.

7- All these tests must be run in a fully-equipped hospital.

Due to the religious, legal, medical, ethical, and social considerations of this issue, judging that a patient’s brain is dead must be done by a committee of expert medical specialists made of three members at least, and that none of them has any kind of hostility with the patient in question. Time of death begins from  the moment when the members of the aforesaid committee put down their signature.

On its part, the Board stresses the need for addressing this critical matter in order to ensure that the conditions stipulated in this Fatwa are executed, and that violating them entails legal accountability. And Allah Knows Best.

The Board of Iftaa`

Chairman of the Board, Chief Justice, Mohammad Mohailan

The Grand Mufti of Jordan,: Izz al-Deen al-Tamimi, Vice Chairman of the Iftaa` Board

Dr. Nooh al-Qodat, Mufti of Jordanian Armed Forces “ I have a reservation on the second sign  and see that a patient is considered alive so long as a sign of life is present in him/her.”

Dr.Ibrahim al-Keelani         Dr. Abdulsalam Abbadi

Dr. Abdulfatah Amr              Dr. Abdulhalim Ar-Ramahi

Dr. Mostafa Az-Zarqa           Dr. Mahmood al-Sartawi

Dr. Yasee Dradkeh                Dr. Abdulssalam al-Abbadi

Dr. Sa`eid Hijawi                 

   Dr. Mahmood Al-Awattli ” The same reservation 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible for a mother to stop her daughter from marrying a respectable, God-fearing young man because he isn't college/university graduate?

It is impermissible to deny a woman her right in getting married except for a lawful reason, and problems can be solved through dialogue. However, she can file a suit in order for the judge to have a say in that regard.

What is required of a traveler or a sick person if they broke their fast and then their excuse ceased?

If a traveler settles or a sick person recovers after having broken their fast, it is recommended for them to refrain from eating and drinking for the rest of the day, but it is not obligatory.

Is it a condition that a woman should untie her locks while making Ghusl (ritual bath)?

Ghusl from Janabah (ritual impurity), or menstruation obligates that water reaches the roots of the hair in order for the Ghusl to be valid, but if it doesn`t, then hair locks must be untied for water to reach them, and for Ghusl to become valid.

What is the ruling on discharging one's zakāh obligation through the provision of a specific benefit (manfa‘ah) — such as performing a surgical operation for a patient, or providing housing to a tenant, and counting the value of this service as zakāh?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is obligatory to pay zakāh from the actual asset (‘ayn al-māl) upon which zakāh is due, except in the case of zakāh on trade goods ('urūḍ at-tijārah), which is paid based on their monetary value. In all cases, zakāh must be given in the form of tamlīk (a full transfer of ownership), based on the words of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic (which mean): "Zakāh expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy, and for those employed to collect [zakāh], and for bringing hearts together [for Islam], and for freeing captives [or slaves], and for those in debt, and for the cause of Allah, and for the [stranded] traveler — an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise" [at-Tawbah/60]. The letter "lām" (لِ) in this verse — as in "lil-fuqarā'" ("for the poor") — indicates possession/ownership (lām al-milk).
It is not permissible to fulfill one's zakāh obligation by providing a benefit or service (manfa‘ah) — such as housing, education, or medical treatment — in place of the zakāh itself. This is because zakāh must be paid as wealth (māl) that is transferred into the ownership of the poor recipient, whereas such services are intangible benefits that are not, in themselves, capable of being formally transferred in ownership (ghayr qābilah lit-tamlīk). And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.