Back to search

Have I committed a sin by disposing of an orange I received from a friend, as I suspect he took the orange without its owner's permission, given that I did not bring it into my house and disposed of it by giving it to someone else? And if so, what should I do?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

"Negative assumptions about a Muslim's wealth or refraining from accepting their gift without evidence is considered blameworthy extremism (tanattu'). There is no need to investigate the source of wealth of a Muslim whose circumstances are concealed. What is known to be unlawful should be avoided, and what is not known should not be investigated, and the matter should be based on the original principle, which is permissibility. Therefore, if one knows that money is stolen or usurped, it is not permissible to accept it as a gift, or in a sale, or as payment for a debt. If its status is unknown, then the unknown is like the non-existent, and the basic principle is that what a Muslim possesses belongs to him. However, if it is highly probable that oranges are stolen or usurped, it is not permissible to accept them. And if one becomes aware of the unlawfulness of something, one must withhold it for its owner or give it away as charity on their behalf."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy