New fatwa: Pay taxes and clear debts before Haj trip

Bareilly: A new fatwa issued by Sunni Barelvi clerics of dargah Aala Hazrat states that as per Islamic law pilgrims should clear their debts before embarking on Haj. The clerics reasoned that all types of taxes imposed by the government are also 'debt', and pilgrims must therefore clear them, including house and income taxes.
Mufti Mohammed Salim Noori, the cleric who passed the fatwa, said, “As per the Islamic law, a person going on Haj should clear all his debts.Prophet Mohammed had said that when a person goes on Haj, he goes to meet Allah. So, the person should not have any debt.”
Noori added, “The different forms of taxes levied on residents by the government are also considered debt. Therefore, pilgrims wishing to go on Haj should pay taxes before starting their journey. Also, as per Islam, people should first perform their day-to-day duties honestly and then focus on completing religious duties.”
The fatwa goes on to say that when a new financial year starts, pilgrims should pay all their pending taxes. All taxes, including income, house, water, sewer and sales, imposed by government should be cleared.
“Apart from clearing their debts and taxes, people should leave enough money at their home so that their wife and children do not face any financial crisis when they are out performing Haj. A person should ensure that his family members have adequate funds to run their normal life in his absence,” said Noori.
The seminary is known for passing major fatwas.
As reported by TOI on January 19, the clerics here said reading ISIS literature on social media and other platforms or promoting it is against Islam as the religion does not support the ideology of terrorist organizations.
Similarly, clerics had passed a fatwa in July last year, declaring that zakat, donations mandated by Islam, should go towards funding modern education and hi-tech gadgets as well.
In another fatwa in June last year, clerics had decreed that women could run their own businesses, although they had to limit business dealings to other women.