What is the ruling on using electricity for which the owner was not billed for a year due to the electricity company's failure to install the meter, and is he sinful for that?
"A consumer's evasion of paying for electricity is unlawful () in Islamic law. If the consumer does not contact the company to install a meter after the due date, it is considered an evasion of payment, because the company's silence does not imply permission for free consumption. Consuming electricity without a meter is considered a transaction based on ignorance (jahalah) and uncertainty (), as the quantity of consumption cannot be determined, and thus the price is unknown. This invalidates the contract, because among the conditions for a valid sale (and electricity consumption is a sale) is knowledge of the price and the item sold. If the contract is void, the consumer is obligated to pay the estimated value of what he consumed in electricity. After paying the value, he must cease consumption without a meter, except in cases of necessity."
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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