If the father is stingy and has wealth, is it considered theft if the child takes from his father's money without his knowledge, or not? And does the father sin by his negligence and stinginess toward his children?
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The questioner : My father has a commercial establishment, and his financial situation is comfortable, praise be to Allah. However, he is stingy with us regarding what we need. If I ask him for money to buy what I need, he refuses to give it to me. So I am forced to take money from the cash box of that commercial establishment without his knowledge. Is this considered theft or not? And does he sin by his stinginess and withholding of what we need, to the point that it causes me to take the money without his knowledge?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. This question contains two parts. The first is the father's withholding of the maintenance that is obligatory for him to provide for you. This is forbidden for him, because it is obligatory for the father to spend on his child, as Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:233] Thus, Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, obligated the one for whom the child is born to provide the food and clothing of the mothers for the sake of breastfeeding the child, because that is part of spending on him.
Accordingly, it is obligatory for your father to fear Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and to give thanks to Him for His blessing by spending the money He has given him in what Allah has obligated upon him, such as zakah and maintenance. It is not permissible for him to be stingy with the maintenance that is obligatory upon him.
The second part concerns you and your taking what you need from the box of this establishment. It is permissible for you to take from the box what suffices you, in a moderate manner, without extravagance.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded or permitted the wife of Abu Sufyan to take from his wealth what suffices her and her child, in a moderate manner. Likewise, we say that for any person who is entitled to maintenance from another person, if the one obligated to provide this maintenance is stingy and does not give what is obligatory, then the person entitled to the maintenance may take from his wealth the amount of his maintenance that has been determined for him, but in a moderate manner, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, such that he does not exceed what is obligatory for someone like him.
The questioner : This is a message from the listener Muhammad Ahmad, an Egyptian working in Qassim, Buraydah.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. This question contains two parts. The first is the father's withholding of the maintenance that is obligatory for him to provide for you. This is forbidden for him, because it is obligatory for the father to spend on his child, as Allah the Exalted said:
Mothers may breastfeed their children two complete years for whoever wishes to complete the nursing [period]. Upon the father is the mothers' provision and their clothing according to what is acceptable.
والوالدات يُرضعن أولادهن حولين كاملين لمن أراد أن يتم الرضاعة وعلى المولود له رزقهن وكسوتهن بالمعروفAccordingly, it is obligatory for your father to fear Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and to give thanks to Him for His blessing by spending the money He has given him in what Allah has obligated upon him, such as zakah and maintenance. It is not permissible for him to be stingy with the maintenance that is obligatory upon him.
The second part concerns you and your taking what you need from the box of this establishment. It is permissible for you to take from the box what suffices you, in a moderate manner, without extravagance.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded or permitted the wife of Abu Sufyan to take from his wealth what suffices her and her child, in a moderate manner. Likewise, we say that for any person who is entitled to maintenance from another person, if the one obligated to provide this maintenance is stingy and does not give what is obligatory, then the person entitled to the maintenance may take from his wealth the amount of his maintenance that has been determined for him, but in a moderate manner, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, such that he does not exceed what is obligatory for someone like him.
The questioner : This is a message from the listener Muhammad Ahmad, an Egyptian working in Qassim, Buraydah.