Back to search

Is it permissible to accuse someone who denies a debt of having stolen the money, and to swear to that in order to reclaim the usurped right through the judiciary, without addition or reduction?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If a person has borrowed money from you or taken a loan and then denied it, it is permissible for you to swear that they stole it. This is because many scholars have permitted lying to reclaim a right. However, it is preferable to use circumlocution and indirect speech if possible. Some scholars are of the opinion that a person who denies having received a borrowed item is considered a thief, citing the hadith of Aisha concerning the Makhzumi woman who used to borrow items and deny them, whereupon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered that her hand be cut off.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy