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The question

Is it permissible for a Muslim residing in non-Muslim lands to steal from them, given that he is safe and does not need what he steals?

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Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

Theft is one of the grave sins. Allah has prescribed cutting off the hand as its punishment. Islamic law does not differentiate between the property of a male or a female, or a young person or an old one, or a Muslim or a non-Muslim, with the exception of the property of non-believers who are at war with Muslims. A Muslim must be an example of trustworthiness and fulfilling covenants. A Muslim who considers the property of non-believers lawful, whether in Muslim lands or non-Muslim lands, harms Islam and distorts its image. If a Muslim enters non-Muslim lands with a covenant and security (a visa), it is not permissible for him to take their property unlawfully, because that is a breach of covenant and an act of theft. Property stolen from non-believers is forbidden. The proof for this is the of Mughirah ibn Shu'bah when he killed some people during the pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyyah) and took their wealth. When he embraced Islam, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "As for Islam, I accept it; but as for the wealth, I have nothing to do with it." Scholars have explained that this is because he took it treacherously, and thus it is not permissible to take the property of non-believers treacherously when one is in a state of security.

Summary from Ftawy's records · added here

Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.

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Where this answer came from
Source platform
Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
21038
Added here
. This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
Text
Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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Read the full answer on Ftawy