Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(248): "Ruling on Freezing Woman`s Eggs"

Date Added : 06-12-2017

 

Resolution No.(248)(17/2017) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Freezing Woman`s Eggs"

Date: 2/Rabi` Al-Thani/1439, corresponding to 21/11/2017.

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

During its 13th session held on the above date, the Board reviewed a question sent via the Electronic Website of the General Iftaa` Department and reads as follows:

I`m twenty eight years old and I`m undergoing chemotherapy. I have marital problems and filed for divorce. My question is: Is it permissible to withdraw eggs from my ovaries to preserve them for future use, in case I was married to another man, or should divorce take place first, then observe my Iddah (Waiting period after divorce or death of husband), then undergo that procedure?

After deliberating, the Board arrived at the following:

Freezing eggs or sperms is among the innovative matters resulting from 

medical advancement. Therefore, clarifying the ruling of Sharia on such matters should rest on two general rules of Sharia:

First: In principle, making use of medical treatment is lawful since the Messenger of Allah said: "Make use of medical treatment, for Allah has not made a disease without appointing a remedy for it, with the exception of one disease, namely old age." {Ahmad}.

Second: Preserving lineage and observing the sanctity of the wedlock.

If the owners of these eggs and sperms adhered to fertilizing them during valid marriage contracts, there is no harm in doing that when necessary, whether their withdrawal and freezing was done during singlehood or a past marriage. What counts, here, is observing the sanctity of the fertilization by performing it during a valid marriage contract for both spouses. However, it is safer and more prudent for the woman to freeze her eggs and fertilize them within one valid marriage contract, and this is more preferable. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Chairman of Iftaa` Board,

Grand Mufti of Jordan,

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh

Sheikh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh, Member

Prof. Abdullah Al-Fawaz, Member

Dr. Ahmad Al-Hasanat, Member

Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-Esa, Member

Dr. Majid Darawsheh, Member

Sheikh Sa`eid Al-Hijjawi, Member

Judge Khalid Woraikat, Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Zo`bi, Member

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Summarized Fatawaa

When does the time for Udhiyah begin?

 
In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The permissible timeframe for Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) begins on the day of Eid al-Adha—the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah—once the sun has risen and a period of time sufficient to perform two brief prayer units (Rak'ahs) and two short sermons (Khutbahs) has passed. This window remains open until the sun sets on the final day of Tashreeq, which is the 13th of Dhul-Hijjah.
 
Our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), said: "Every valley of Mina is a place of sacrifice, and slaughtering may be done throughout all the days of Tashreeq." (Narrated by Al-Bayhaqi and Ibn Hibban)
 
The days of Tashreeq refer to the 11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah.
 
The most virtuous time to perform the sacrifice is immediately after concluding the Eid prayer, based on the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The first thing we do on this day of ours is to pray, then we return and offer our sacrifice. Whoever does that has acted in accordance with our Sunnah (tradition), and whoever slaughters before that, it is merely meat he has provided for his family; it has nothing to do with the ritual sacrifice." (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
 
What is meant here is an estimation of time rather than the actual performance of the prayer itself, as our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), used to offer the Eid al-Adha prayer immediately after sunrise.
 
The sacrifice is valid if performed at any time during these designated days, whether by day or by night, though slaughtering at night is considered disliked (Makruh). And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

What is the Islamic ruling on the Udhiyah (sacrificial offfering)?

 
 
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) is a Confirmed Sunnah (Sunnah Mu’akkadah) for every adult Muslim of sound mind who possesses the financial means, whether they are a resident, a traveler, or a pilgrim (Haj). This is based on the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: 'When the ten days [of Dhu al-Hijjah] begin and one of you desires to offer a sacrifice, let him not touch [cut] anything of his hair or skin' [Narrated by Muslim].
 
The point of evidence (Wajh al-Dalalah) here is that the Prophet ﷺ linked the sacrifice to the individual's will and desire by saying, 'and one of you desires.' This indicates that it is not obligatory (Wajib); had it been mandatory, he would have simply said, 'let him not touch his hair until he sacrifices' [without making it conditional upon desire].
 
Furthermore, it is narrated that Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) would sometimes refrain from offering the sacrifice out of fear that people might mistakenly view it as an obligatory duty [Narrated by al-Bayhaqi and others with a good (Hasan) chain of transmission]. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

What is the ruling on forgoing the sacrifice (uḍḥiyah) for one who is financially able to offer it?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is disliked (makrūh) for one for whom the uḍḥiyah (sacrifice) is recommended (Sunnah) to forgo offering it, on account of the scholarly disagreement regarding whether it is obligatory. And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

Is it obligatory for someone traveling by plane in the afternoon during Ramadan to fast?

Anyone who intends to travel after dawn must begin the day fasting and continue with the intention of completing their fast, as fasting was obligatory upon them before traveling.
However, if they experience unbearable hardship after starting their journey, they are permitted to break their fast due to that hardship, not merely because of travel. In such a case, they must make up for the missed fast later.