Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(258): "Sighting the Crescent of Ramadan (1439 AH)"

Date Added : 24-05-2018

Resolution No.(258)(11/2018):

"Sighting the Crescent of Ramadan(1439 AH) "

Date: (29/ Sha`ban/1439 AH), corresponding to (15/5/2018 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 seventh session held on the above date, the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies reviewed sighting the crescent of Ramadan for this year (1439) based on the astronomical calculations conducted by the Crescents Committee of the General Iftaa` Department. 

 

After deliberating, the Board decided the following:

 

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious,  Most Merciful

 

Allah, The Almighty, Said (What means): "Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting" {Al-Baqarah/185}. Allah also Said (What means): "They ask thee concerning the New Moons. Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) men, and for Pilgrimage" {Al-Baqarah/189}. Moreover, the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Observe fast on sighting it (the new moon) and break it on sighting it." {Related by Bukhari}.

 

In compliance with Sharia texts, the Iftaa` Board, accompanied by the Chief Justice, the Minister of Awqaf, a number of eminent scholars, and experts of astronomy, convened on Tuesday evening (29th of Sha`baan, 1439 AH, corresponding to 15/5/2018) to sight the crescent of Ramadan(the new moon).

 

Based on the findings of the Crescent Sighting Committee of the General Iftaa` Department and the concerned authorities, which were harmonious with the astronomical calculations, it was ascertained to the Board that tomorrow, Wednesday, will complement the month of Sha`baan, and so Thursday will be the first day of the holy month of Ramadan for the year 1439 AH, corresponding to 15/5/2018 AD.

 

Accordingly, the Board is pleased to extend the warmest of congratulations to His Majesty King Abdullah the second Ibn Al-Hussein, His crown Prince, and the Hashemite Family on this blessed occasion. May Allah Protect His Majesty and Grant Him good health.

The Board also extends its congratulations to the people of Jordan as well as the Arab and Muslim Nation. It prays that Allah Makes it a month of peace, security, faith, goodness and piety. And may Allah Accept our fast and night prayers. And Allah Knows Best.

 

 

Chairman of Iftaa` Board,

Grand Mufti of Jordan,

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh

Sheikh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh, Member

Dr. Ahmad Al-Hasanat, Member

Dr. Majid Darawsheh, Member

Sheikh Sa`eid Al-Hijjawi, Member

Judge Khalid Woraikat, Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Zou`bi/ Member

Prof. Abdullah Al-Fawaaz/ Member

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on swearing an oath by the Prophet ﷺ, and does such an oath take effect according to Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, requiring expiation upon its breach?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Swearing an oath by a created being is disliked (makrūh) in our Shāfiʿī school. Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Swearing by a created being is disliked — such as swearing by the Prophet, the Kaʿbah, Jibrīl, the Companions, or the Prophet's family. Al-Shāfiʿī, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: 'I fear that swearing by other than Allah the Almighty may constitute an act of disobedience.' The scholars of the school explained this to mean: that is, something forbidden and sinful — indicating that he had some hesitation in the matter. Al-Imām stated: the established position of the school is that it is categorically not forbidden, but rather disliked. Furthermore, whoever swears by a created being, his oath does not take effect and no expiation (kaffārah) is required if he breaks it." [Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn wa ʿUmdat al-Muftīn, Vol. 11/P.6]
According to the Ḥanbalī school, however, expiation becomes obligatory upon one who swears by our master the Prophet ﷺ and then breaks his oath. Imām al-Bahūtī al-Ḥanbalī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "No expiation is required for swearing by other than Allah the Almighty, even if the oath is broken — because expiation was made obligatory for swearing by Allah and His attributes, out of reverence for His names, and nothing else is equal to Him in this regard... except in the case of swearing by our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, for expiation becomes obligatory when one swears by him and then breaks the oath. This was explicitly stated in the narration of Abū Ṭālib, because he is one of the two conditions of the two testimonies of faith by which a disbeliever becomes a Muslim. Ibn ʿAqīl held the view that swearing by any of the other prophets, peace and blessings be upon them all, carries the same ruling." [Sharḥ Muntahā al-Irādāt, Vol. 3/P.441]. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible for a wife to refuse to go to bed with her husband (for sexual intercourse)?

It isn`t permissible for her to do so unless for a sound reason.

Is it permissible for the wife to give the Zakah (obligatory charity) of her money to her poor husband?

Yes, it is permissible for the wife to give from the Zakah of her money to her poor husband. And Allah Knows Best.

What is the ruling on a young man and a young woman having a love relation for the purpose of getting married?

It is forbidden for a man and a woman to have any kind of relation whether for marriage, or not because it leads to committing sin. Such relations include: private meetings, mixing, gazing, and seclusion (Khulwa). Accordingly, one who is sincere in his intentions should go to the woman`s guardian and ask for her hand in marriage.