Is the university entitled to stipulate the forfeiture of a student's right to receive books and educational materials after a specified deadline, even though the student has already paid for them?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
If the student has paid for the books, the university is obligated to deliver them to him, and it is not permissible for the university to forfeit his right to them while retaining the price, as this constitutes consuming people's wealth unjustly. If the university incurs harm due to the student's delay, it may stipulate a penalty clause that compensates it for the harm, such as requiring collection within a specific time, otherwise the student bears the harm resulting from his delay. This is because a penalty clause is permissible in financial contracts, except for those where the primary obligation is a debt.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/171072
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 171072
- 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