I am a young man, fifteen years old—committed, praise be to Allah—and I used to steal some money from my father without his knowledge. These were large amounts, and I do not know the exact sum.
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The questioner : May Allah reward the honorableThe Shaykh : I am a young man, fifteen years old, committed, praise be to Allah. I used to steal some money from my father without his knowledge. These were large amounts, and I do not know the exact sum. Allah knows that I regret what I did. Now, I have a mosque where I receive a stipend, but the stipend goes to my family because I have financial obligations. There are also people from whom I stole, and I cannot return the money to them because I have no funds and I am ashamed of them. What should I do?
The Shaykh : I say: May Allah bless this brother in his life. How old is he? Fifteen years old. He stole from his father and from people, I don't know what. And he has incurred many debts. We ask Allah to help him pay them to their owners. Since the man is now the imam of a mosque, is committed, and has debts, it is permissible to give him from the zakah what will pay off his debt, because he falls under the saying of Allah the Exalted:. But if a person fears that if he gives him the money to pay the debt, he will spend it on luxuries and leave the debt unpaid, then he should not give it to him. Instead, he should go to the creditor and pay it on his behalf. It remains to be asked: How does he get rid of the people from whom he stole? Does he go to them and say, "I stole from you"? I am seeking a solution for this from anyone who has one.
Does anyone have a solution? Sending it, without knowing who he is. This is a solution: send it by registered mail. But there is a problem with this. What is the problem? It may not reach the owner's hands. But some people write: "Private, to be delivered to his hand, and not to be opened by anyone else." They sometimes write on the envelope, and it comes to us like this. So here, if we know that it has arrived, I hope there is no harm in it. Is there another way? Yes.
The questioner : The imam of a mosque?
The Shaykh : Yes, the imam of a mosque. That is what he said.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, that is good. You heard what he said. He says: Since he is the imam of a mosque, he can go to the owner and say, "These are dirhams from a man who told me to deliver them to so-and-so, for I stole them from him." Is this correct or not? He went to the one from whom he stole and said, "This is from a man who says that he stole it from you." Is this valid or not? Yes. It is valid, my brothers! Because he said, "from a man," and is it a man or a woman? A man. Did he steal it or not? He stole it. And this is also better than the first one, why? Because he is reassured that it will reach its owner. But if he were not the imam of a mosque, what Shaykh Mahmoud said is sound. Is there a third option? Yes.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : He puts it in his car...
The Shaykh : If he puts it in the car of the one from whom he stole.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Good, this is also a solution, or he throws it in his house. But in the car, I fear that one of the passengers might find it. Is that possible? But if he specifies and says, "This is for so-and-so," specifying his name, then his conscience is cleared, if Allah wills. Yes.
The Shaykh : I say: May Allah bless this brother in his life. How old is he? Fifteen years old. He stole from his father and from people, I don't know what. And he has incurred many debts. We ask Allah to help him pay them to their owners. Since the man is now the imam of a mosque, is committed, and has debts, it is permissible to give him from the zakah what will pay off his debt, because he falls under the saying of Allah the Exalted:
and those in debt
وَالْغَارِمِينَDoes anyone have a solution? Sending it, without knowing who he is. This is a solution: send it by registered mail. But there is a problem with this. What is the problem? It may not reach the owner's hands. But some people write: "Private, to be delivered to his hand, and not to be opened by anyone else." They sometimes write on the envelope, and it comes to us like this. So here, if we know that it has arrived, I hope there is no harm in it. Is there another way? Yes.
The questioner : The imam of a mosque?
The Shaykh : Yes, the imam of a mosque. That is what he said.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, that is good. You heard what he said. He says: Since he is the imam of a mosque, he can go to the owner and say, "These are dirhams from a man who told me to deliver them to so-and-so, for I stole them from him." Is this correct or not? He went to the one from whom he stole and said, "This is from a man who says that he stole it from you." Is this valid or not? Yes. It is valid, my brothers! Because he said, "from a man," and is it a man or a woman? A man. Did he steal it or not? He stole it. And this is also better than the first one, why? Because he is reassured that it will reach its owner. But if he were not the imam of a mosque, what Shaykh Mahmoud said is sound. Is there a third option? Yes.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : He puts it in his car...
The Shaykh : If he puts it in the car of the one from whom he stole.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Good, this is also a solution, or he throws it in his house. But in the car, I fear that one of the passengers might find it. Is that possible? But if he specifies and says, "This is for so-and-so," specifying his name, then his conscience is cleared, if Allah wills. Yes.