Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(293): ’’Ruling on Knowing about being Infected with COVID-19 and being a Cause of Transmitting it to others’’

Date Added : 04-11-2020

Resolution No. (293)(13/2020) By the Board of Iftaa’, Research and Islamic Studies:

’’Ruling on Knowing about being Infected with COVID-19 as well a Cause of Transmitting It to Others’’

Date (16/Rabea’ Al-Aowal, 1442 AH) corresponding to (2/11/2020 AD)

 

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 of his family and companions.

 

On its twelfth session held on Monday 16/ Rabea’ Al-Aowal/1442 AH, corresponding to 2/11/2020AD, the Board of Iftaa’, Research and Islamic Studies Reviewed the ruling on a person who knows that he is infected with COVID-19 and a cause of transmitting it to others. After deliberations, the Board decided the following:

Allah, The Exalted Said (What means): ’’My Lord! Make this a region of security and bestow upon its people fruits’’ [Al-Baqara/126].

Whosoever infected with COVID-19 or might be is not permitted to mix with other people in order not to be a reason of transmitting the infection to them or being a cause of harm, damaging the security of the country economically and healthily and finally leading to a state of recession to the country itself and the population as well.

In this regard, the Prophet (PBUH) ordered us to be in quarantine at the occurrence of plague which is an infectious disease, where he said (What means): ’’If you hear that it (plague) has broken out in a land, do not go to it; but if it breaks out in a land where you are present, do not go out escaping from it." [Agreed upon]. Besides, according to scholars, the forbid in the above narration is of the same level of prohibition .i.e. the prohibition of going out a country if the plague breaks out in it and the prohibition of fleeing away from a country in which the plague has broken out in it. Besides, when Al-Imam As-Shihab Ar-Ramli was asked about that and replied: ’’Fleeing away from a country in which the plague breaks out in it and going to a country in which the plague has broken out in it is impermissible.’’.

Accordingly, the same procedures apply on every infectious disease such as COVID-19; thus, the infected person is not permitted to mix with others especially their gatherings such as markets, clubs, places of worship and social occasions, and the one who do otherwise is considered sinful because he will inflict harm upon them, for the Prophet (PBUH) said (What means): ”There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm." It was stated in [Al-Moataa’], which related by Al-Imam Malik as well as In Sahih Al-Buhkary & Moslim, that the Prophet (PBUH) ordered the person who ate from anything with a bad odor such as garlic and onion to avoid obligatory congregational prayer in the Mosque and to stay away from it, and ordered him to pray at Al-Baqee’ (The main graveyard for Al-Madina people) as narrated in Sahih Moslim, so how will be the case with an infectious deadly disease! Allah, The Exalted Said (What means): ’’whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the earth, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind.’’ [Al-Maidah/32].

Therefore, the infected person must abide by quarantine and all precautionary procedures issued by specialists, as well all people should abide by wearing face mask, maintain safe social distancing, using sterilizations in addition to other safety procedures and the one who doesn't abide by those procedures is considered sinful according to the ruling of Sharia and is one of those, who strive with might and main for mischief through the land, since Allah, The Exalted Said (What means): ”And Allah loveth not mischief.” [Al-Baqarah/205]. Thus, whoever doesn’t abide by the aforementioned procedures has earned punishment in this life and the Hereafter because he violated what been enjoined by Allah, The Exalted, His messenger (PBUH) and accordingly, the ruler who banned the infected person to mix with others, imposed curfew to ward off harm upon people and to achieve their benefit at the same time, because he acts in accordance to the good of all citizens and the punishment in the worldly life regarding violations during this pandemic is determined by him based on Sharia’s maxims. We ask Allah The Almighty to Ward off all kinds diseases and pandemics. And Allah Knows Best  

 

 

Chairperson of Iftaa` Board,

Grand Mufti of Jordan,

Dr. Abdulkareem al-Khasawneh

Dr. Muhammad Al-Khlaylah, Member 

Dr. Mahmoud al-Sartawi, Member

Sheikh Sa`eid Al-Hijjawi, Member

Dr. Majed al-Darawsheh, Member

Dr. Ahmad al-Hasanat, Member

Judge Khalid Woraikat, Member

Prof. Adam Nooh Al-Qhodaat/Member

Dr. Amjad Rasheed/Member

Dr. Jamil Khatatbeh/Member

Dr. Mohammad Younis Al-Zou`bi/ Member

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on ablution without istinja' after sleep?

The sleep of one whose buttocks are not firmly seated on the ground invalidates ablution. Whoever wakes up and wants to pray must perform ablution only. Istinja' is not a condition for the validity of ablution, because it is for removing impurity from the private part. If there is no impurity on the private part, then istinja' is neither obligatory nor recommended. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible for an elderly person, a pregnant woman, or someone with a chronic illness to pay fidyah before Ramadan begins?

It is not permissible for an elderly person, a pregnant woman, or someone with a chronic illness to pay fidyah before Ramadan begins.
Additionally, it is not allowed to pay fidyah for more than one day in advance, because fidyah is a substitute for fasting, and fasting is not yet obligatory at that time.
However, it is permissible to pay fidyah for a single day in advance, by analogy with paying zakat up to one year in advance.

Is it permissible to offer an Udhiyah on behalf of the deceased?

In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Offering an Udhiyah (sacrificial animal) on behalf of a deceased person is permissible. This is the official position of the Hanbali school (as stated in Kashshaf al-Qina’ by al-Bahuti,Vol.6/P.428) and was also upheld by the prominent Shafi'i scholar Al-’Abbadi (mentioned in Bidayat al-Muhtaj by Ibn Qadi Shuhbah,Vol. 4/P.358). It has likewise been narrated as a valid view among some Maliki and Hanafi scholars.
 
In fact, Imam Abu Dawud dedicated an entire chapter in his Sunan collection entitled, "Chapter on Sacrificing on Behalf of the Deceased." In it, he recorded a narration from Hanash, who said: "I saw 'Ali sacrificing two rams, so I asked him, 'What is this?' He replied, 'The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded me to offer a sacrifice on his behalf, so I am sacrificing on his behalf.'"
 
Imam Abu Dawud also narrated from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah, this is from You, for You, and on behalf of Muhammad and his Ummah (community). In the Name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest," and he then slaughtered the animal.
 
The textual evidence here lies in the fact that our Master, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), offered a sacrifice on behalf of his entire community—and it is well-established that his community includes those who have already passed away.
 
Furthermore, there is an abundance of sacred texts demonstrating that the rewards of righteous deeds reach the deceased. For instance, it is permissible to fast on behalf of a deceased person who passed away with missed obligatory fasts, and it is equally permissible to perform Hajj on their behalf, both of which are firmly established in authentic Hadiths. Therefore, if the reward of fasting (which is a purely physical act of worship) and Hajj (which is a joint physical and financial act of worship) can reach the deceased, then the reward of an Udhiyah reaches them with greater reason (by way of A Fortiori argument). This is because it is a purely financial act of worship, falling under the general category of charity (Sadaqah).
 
Additionally, scholars have reached a consensus (Ijma') that the rewards of charity reach the deceased, and since the Udhiyah is inherently an act of charity, it falls under the same ruling. Consequently, based on all the aforementioned evidence, we hold the view that offering a sacrifice on behalf of the deceased is entirely permissible. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

What is the ruling on having an intention (Niyyah) for every prayer?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Intention (Niyyah) is a pillar (Rukn) without which the prayer is not valid. The worshiper must have an intention for every prayer, meaning they must consciously intend the act of worship they are performing. Its timing must coincide with the opening Takbir (Takbirat al-Ihram). It is not a requirement to utter it verbally; rather, doing so is considered a recommended Sunnah. There are three levels of intention:
 
1-If the prayer is obligatory (Fard): It is mandatory to include the Intent (to pray), the Specification (which prayer, e.g., 'Asr), and the Obligation (recognizing it as a Fard). For example, one should bring to mind or say: 'I intend to pray the Fard of 'Asr.'
 
2-If it is a voluntary prayer restricted by a specific time or cause (Sunnah Muqayyadah): It is mandatory to include the Intent and the Specification. For example: 'I intend to pray the Sunnah before Zuhr' or 'I intend to pray Duha.'
 
3-If it is an absolute voluntary prayer (Nafl Mutlaq): It is sufficient to simply have the Intent to pray. For example: 'I intend to pray.'
 
And Allah the Exalted knows best.