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Resolutions of Iftaa' Board


Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No. (268): "Ruling on Giving Males and Females Equal Portions of Inheritance"

Date Added : 31-12-2018

Resolution No.(268) (22/2018) by the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies:

"Ruling on Giving Males and Females Equal Portions of Inheritance"

Date: (05/Rabi` Rabīʿ al-Thaani/1440 AH), corresponding to (13/12/2018).

 

 

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 fourteenth session held on the above date, the Board reviewed the questionnaire about the permissibility of giving equal portions of inheritance to males and females on absolute basis. Some say that the verse" Allah chargeth you concerning (the provision for) your children: to the male the equivalent of the portion of two females…"{An-Nisa`, 11} isn`t a clear revelation, Quranic texts are amenable to Ijtihad (Independent reasoning or the thorough exertion of a jurist`s mental faculty in finding a solution to a legal question) and the Quran suits every time and place. Does the ruler have the authority to pass a law whereby males and females take equal shares of inheritance?

 

After deliberating, the Board arrived at the following:

 

Inheritance is clearly prescribed in the Noble Quran where Allah, The Almighty, Has Taken charge of dividing it rightfully and justly so that the people deal with each other justly. He, the Exalted, Hasn`t Left this matter to the will of a ruler nor the Ijtihad of a researcher. He, The Almighty, Said (What means): "It is an injunction from Allah. Lo! Allah is Knower, Wise." {An-Nisa`, 11}. Since an injunction is an obligation, then there is no room, here, for Ijtihad. This is not because this divine division contradicts justice; rather, it achieves justice. Therefore, upon the death of a father or a mother who has male and female children, the inheritance is divided on basis of the aforementioned verse: "to the male the equivalent of the portion of two females." This is a text of definitive authenticity and implication, so there is no room, here, for construing or distorting.

Scholars have pointed out that the financial burden shouldered by the inheritors is one of the key standards deemed considerable by the Lawgiver with regard to laws of inheritance. In light of the just Islamic system, the civil status regulations along with the familial code have imposed on the male, be he a husband, a son or a brother, huge financial burdens towards his dependents, and this aims to honor and protect women, in particular, against poverty and need. Another example on those burdens is that the man is obliged to give Mahr (Bridal gift) to the woman, even if she is rich; whereas, she doesn`t have to provide for him since she is financially independent. To face all these burdens, the portion of the male is equivalent to the portion of two females, as indicated in the above scenario. At the same time, in other scenarios, the portion of a female is higher than that of a male because there are two other standards correlating with the above standard (Financial burden), and they are degree of kinship and generation. None is allowed to interfere in this meticulous division and none can understand its details nor the wisdom behind it.

In conclusion, the Board confirms the definitiveness of the divine injunction (to the male the equivalent of the portion of two females) mentioned above and calls on all Muslims to pursue real reform and work on uplifting the Muslim Nation socially, economically, politically and scientifically. And Allah Knows Best.

 

 

Chairperson of Iftaa` Board,

Grand Mufti of Jordan,

Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh

Sheikh Abdulkareem AlKhasawneh/ Member

Sheikh Sa`eid Al-Hijjawi/ Member 

Prof. Abdullah Al-Fawaaz/ Member

Dr. Muhammad Khair Al-Issa/ Member

Dr. Majid Al-Darawsheh/ Member

Prof. Adam Noah/ Member

Judge. Khaled Al-Worikat/ Member 

Dr. Ahmad Al-Hasanat/ Member

Dr. Mohammad Al-Zou`bi/ Member

Dr. Rashaad Al-Khilaani

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on performing the Istikhara prayer after the Witr paryer?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The Istikhara prayer (Prayer for seeking guidance) is a Sunnah. It consists of two units (rak’ahs) performed outside of the obligatory prayers, after which the person supplicates with the traditionally narrated du’a. It is permissible to perform it before or after the Witr prayer, as the Istikhara prayer is recommended at all times except during the disliked times—the periods in which prayer is prohibited. This is because its specific reason (the Istikhara and supplication) occurs after the prayer itself, and any prayer with a subsequent reason is not permitted during the prohibited times. It should be noted that the two rak’ahs of Istikhara are not fulfilled by performing only one rak’ah, nor by a prostration of recitation (Sajdat al-Tilawah), nor by a funeral prayer (Janazah). And Allah the Exalted knows best.

What is the ruling on using moisturizing creams on the skin during the day in Ramadan?

Using moisturizing creams on the skin does not break the fast because they do not enter the body cavity (jauf). Any absorption that occurs through the skin pores does not count as entering through an open passage.

What is the Islamic ruling on the aqiqa?

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
The 'aqīqah is a confirmed Sunnah (sunnah mu'akkadah). Two sheep are to be slaughtered for a newborn boy, and one sheep for a newborn girl. This is established by numerous Prophetic traditions, among them:
The narration of Samurah ibn Jundub, may Allah be pleased with him, who reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Every child is held in pledge for his 'aqīqah, which is slaughtered on his behalf on the seventh day, and he is named, and his head is shaved." — Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who graded it as ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.
And the narration of 'Ā'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us to slaughter one sheep as 'aqīqah for a girl, and two sheep for a boy." — Narrated by Aḥmad and Ibn Mājah.
The imperative in these narrations is understood to denote recommendation rather than obligation, based on the ḥadīth of 'Amr ibn Shu'ayb, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about the 'aqīqah, whereupon he said: "Allah does not love 'uqūq" — as though he disliked the name itself — and then said: "Whoever has a child born to him and wishes to offer a sacrifice on their behalf, let them do so: two equivalent sheep for a boy, and one sheep for a girl." — Narrated by Aḥmad and Abū Dāwūd.
The legal inference drawn from this narration is that the Prophet ﷺ linked the slaughter to the wish and willingness of the individual, saying: "whoever wishes to offer a sacrifice... let them do so" — thereby indicating that the 'aqīqah is recommended (mustaḥabb) and not obligatory (wājib).
And Allah Almighty knows best.

Is it required to fast consecutively when making up missed fasts?

● It is preferable to fast consecutively when making up missed fasts if they were missed due to a valid excuse.
● However, if the fasts were missed without a valid excuse, then fasting consecutively is obligatory, because making up the missed fasts in this case must be done immediately.
Separating the makeup fasts goes against the obligation of immediacy, but if someone does so, their fasts will still be valid. However, they will be sinful for delaying without a valid reason.

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