The ruling on one who took a pistol from a government warehouse and sold it
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, I was a guard at a government weapons warehouse. I found the warehouse empty, and I allowed myself to be led by evil, and I seek refuge in Allah from that, so I took the pistol. It remained with me for more than a month, and no one traced it, so I sold that pistol for 2,000 riyals. After that, the pistol was lost, and then three people were imprisoned, and their salaries were deducted, among other things. I was confused by this, because if I had reported it, the harshest punishments would have befallen me. Now I do not know where these people are, and even if I did know, what should I do? Please issue a ruling for us, and may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for this person to repent to Allah, and he did not submit this question except as a repentant person, if Allah wills. However, he must contact the person in charge of this warehouse and inform him. We ask the person in charge of this warehouse, if he is informed and the man comes repentant, to forgive him and to have him guarantee the pistol, either by buying a similar pistol or by paying its value if its value does not exceed that amount. If it exceeds, he pays the excess. As for the others, who you know were wronged, I might say they were not wronged, because there must have been indications that required the authorities to imprison him.
But it was he who erred by remaining silent until these people were imprisoned. Therefore, it is obligatory for him now to search for these people who were imprisoned because of his silence and to seek their forgiveness. As for the warehouse, it is obligatory for him to return this to the person in charge, either a pistol like the one he took, or its value if it is more than two thousand, and if it is less, he pays the full amount.
Along with repentance to Allah the Exalted and Majestic. And I repeat to the person in charge of the warehouse to forgive him, because he came repentant and remorseful, and whoever repents, Allah accepts his repentance.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for this person to repent to Allah, and he did not submit this question except as a repentant person, if Allah wills. However, he must contact the person in charge of this warehouse and inform him. We ask the person in charge of this warehouse, if he is informed and the man comes repentant, to forgive him and to have him guarantee the pistol, either by buying a similar pistol or by paying its value if its value does not exceed that amount. If it exceeds, he pays the excess. As for the others, who you know were wronged, I might say they were not wronged, because there must have been indications that required the authorities to imprison him.
But it was he who erred by remaining silent until these people were imprisoned. Therefore, it is obligatory for him now to search for these people who were imprisoned because of his silence and to seek their forgiveness. As for the warehouse, it is obligatory for him to return this to the person in charge, either a pistol like the one he took, or its value if it is more than two thousand, and if it is less, he pays the full amount.
Along with repentance to Allah the Exalted and Majestic. And I repeat to the person in charge of the warehouse to forgive him, because he came repentant and remorseful, and whoever repents, Allah accepts his repentance.
Source
ابن العثيمين - جلسة رمضانية — archive.org (44:28)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.