His colleagues at work gave him a sum of money to deliver to their families, but he took it for himself
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Fatwa number ( 8546 )
Q: About 17 years ago, I was with two of my companions in an area far from our village, where our entire family lives. I told them that I would go to your families, so they entrusted me with a sum of money, the first gave me fifty riyals, and the second gave me one hundred riyals, and each of them said to me: Give it to my family. However, need and Satan overcame me at that time, and I did not deliver it to their families. From that time until now, I have not forgotten that amount, not even in my dreams. I am aware that I have been financially well-off for a period, yet I have not repaid it, and I am unable to go to the owners of the money to return it to them because it is a major matter. Please inform me, O honorable Shaykh, may Allah reward you a thousand times, what is incumbent upon me, and what should I do? I am aware that the owners of the money are still alive, but I am unable to meet them to tell them that the money did not reach them. May Allah guide you.
A: If the situation is as you described, your conscience will not be cleared except by delivering each of the amounts to the person it belongs to, or returning each one to the person who gave it
to you. You must get rid of this, and do not let shyness prevent you from fulfilling your duty and delivering the trust to its rightful owners. For modesty before Allah, clearing one’s conscience, and escaping liability and sin are more deserving and more binding than being shy about meeting the owners of the rights you hold. So free yourself in this world before there is no dinar or dirham on the Day of Resurrection, when their rights will be paid from your good deeds, or their sins will be placed upon you, and you will be thrown into the Fire because of them.
Q: About 17 years ago, I was with two of my companions in an area far from our village, where our entire family lives. I told them that I would go to your families, so they entrusted me with a sum of money, the first gave me fifty riyals, and the second gave me one hundred riyals, and each of them said to me: Give it to my family. However, need and Satan overcame me at that time, and I did not deliver it to their families. From that time until now, I have not forgotten that amount, not even in my dreams. I am aware that I have been financially well-off for a period, yet I have not repaid it, and I am unable to go to the owners of the money to return it to them because it is a major matter. Please inform me, O honorable Shaykh, may Allah reward you a thousand times, what is incumbent upon me, and what should I do? I am aware that the owners of the money are still alive, but I am unable to meet them to tell them that the money did not reach them. May Allah guide you.
A: If the situation is as you described, your conscience will not be cleared except by delivering each of the amounts to the person it belongs to, or returning each one to the person who gave it
to you. You must get rid of this, and do not let shyness prevent you from fulfilling your duty and delivering the trust to its rightful owners. For modesty before Allah, clearing one’s conscience, and escaping liability and sin are more deserving and more binding than being shy about meeting the owners of the rights you hold. So free yourself in this world before there is no dinar or dirham on the Day of Resurrection, when their rights will be paid from your good deeds, or their sins will be placed upon you, and you will be thrown into the Fire because of them.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.