Is it permissible to take public funds without the knowledge of those responsible for them?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Taking public funds is forbidden (), and its perpetrator deserves ta'zeer, which is a discretionary punishment not fixed by Sacred Law, left to the ruler's discretion. Taking public funds is not considered a theft that necessitates cutting off the hand, unless the state has allocated these funds to a specific group and others take them. In this case, it is considered a theft that necessitates cutting off the hand if the conditions are met. It is worth noting that taking public funds is more forbidden (haram) than taking private funds, because it is an aggression against the rights of the entire society.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/37224
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 37224
- 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.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy