Unlawful Money and Its Disposal
This subtopic gathers questions on money already acquired in a way that is unlawful or doubtful. They include interest received, mixed money, and how to dispose of or purify it.
Questions readers ask here:
- What should one do who has unintentionally eaten food that is not theirs?
- How is sincere repentance and restitution for injustices possible when one is unable to repay them at once?
- Is it permissible to benefit from a deceased father's wealth if it is mixed with earnings from usury?
- Is it permissible to take money that will be given as a reward for an alleged success?
Questions about the work, rather than the money after the fact, belong under Working Around the Impermissible.
104 questions
Is repentance and giving in charity the equivalent of what was taken from the apartment sufficient, or is it obligatory to return the money to the owner, and is it obligatory to inform him of the reason for the return?
Is it permissible to donate money taken secretly from its owners—even if the amount is negligible—on their behalf to clear one's conscience?
Is the money recovered as a result of breaking a headphone while trying to expand it unlawful, especially since the lawyer advised claiming that it was not opened in order to recover the money?
What should I do for Allah to forgive me for taking a phone I found and not returning it to its owner, who called me, 15 years ago?
Will a person be rewarded for their acts of worship (such as prayer, reciting the Qur'an, and fasting) if the tools used or the food consumed were purchased with unlawfully gained money or a usurious credit card, or if the recitation tool was dirty?
How is the value of the repaid amount of food subsidies, disbursed under a specific name for 12 years, calculated? Is it by the value of each year individually, or by the value of the subsidy at the last time it was disbursed, multiplied by the number of years?
Is it obligatory to sell the house and car acquired with ill-gotten money and donate their price, or has Allah forgiven what is past?
Do organizations, associations, and volunteer teams sin by taking money from entities and individuals whose wealth is not free from unlawful gain, and distributing it to the poor, while these individuals continue to earn unlawful money?
Is money earned from renting out a car that was purchased with ill-gotten gains considered permissible or impermissible, and does the ruling change if a portion of it is given in charity?
Is it permissible to distribute the money generated from a one-time sale of alcohol in the company's restaurant to the simple employees?
How can one absolve oneself from the sin of using office supplies (such as pens, rulers, calculators, etc.) taken from previous workplaces, knowing that their approximate value has been given in charity? And is it obligatory to dispose of them?
What is the ruling of Islamic law regarding how to atone for the sin of consuming the property of orphans, given the impossibility of returning the money to some of them due to death, lack of need, or unknown whereabouts? Is it permissible to give it to other orphans?
What is the ruling on money collected by a widow through begging and deception, which she then invested in buying two homes for her children and small businesses after her repentance? Is this money considered lawful for her and her children?
How can one compensate for spending money on cigarettes, and will God forgive this sin?
What should a person do regarding money he earned from impersonating a girl on social media and sending pornographic images in exchange for money, and what should he do if he does not possess sufficient funds to return it?
What is the ruling on using part of donated funds to buy gifts for those who collected them without the association's knowledge, and what is required to return the money and repent?
What is the ruling of Islamic law on a family that relies for its sustenance on stolen money, knowing this, and having no other source of income?
What should I do with a cudgel I took to discipline its unknown owner, and should I donate its value if I don't find its owner?
Is it obligatory to return an electrical cable that was taken under the assumption that it belonged to the questioner, and after realizing it was not, he procrastinated in returning it for three years, along with paying the rental value for its use, or is it sufficient to just return it to the school?
What is the ruling on someone who stole when they were young (10-15 years old), then repented when they were older, but does not remember all the people they stole from, nor the total amount stolen from them, and estimated the stolen amount through ijtihad; what should they do?
What is the ruling on my receiving two awards from two different Quran competitions if the award is due for a single portion (Juz')? And what is the ruling on the salary paid to me during a study leave in which I did not adhere to studying? And how can I return the money to the granting government entity after such a long time has passed?
Is it permissible for the wife to take from her husband’s unlawfully acquired money and give it as charity without his knowledge, with the intention of benefiting those in need?
Is it permissible to accept maintenance and gifts from an infidel father who inherited money from his Muslim relatives and whose money became mixed with lawful money, knowing that an infidel does not inherit from a Muslim?
What is the Sharia ruling and expiation for the sin of using students' funds for personal gain, bearing in mind that I did not take payment for my efforts and that the group has disbanded?