Ruling on using work tools for personal needs and leaving during working hours

Question:
A lengthy letter was received by the program from one of the listening brothers, who indicated his name with the initials (D. A. M) from Riyadh. The letter in its entirety reveals the personality of its author, and he says: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. My honorable father, the Shaykh: 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Baz (may Allah preserve him and grant him piety, amen). I greet you with the eternal greeting of Islam, the greeting of the people of Paradise: Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings. And after that: My dear father, may Allah prolong your life and make you a storehouse for Islam and the Muslims. I love you for the sake of Allah, and I ask Allah to gather me, you, and all the Muslims with those upon whom Allah has bestowed His favor, from among the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs, and the righteous. And excellent are those companions. And after that: I have a question, which is: I am a young man—praise and thanks be to Allah—committed to all the teachings of Islam, and I ask Allah for you and for me steadfastness upon the truth until the Day of Resurrection. I have been employed in one of the ministries, and I want the salary I receive to be lawful, and not have a single coin in it that is forbidden; because I want to be one whose supplication is answered, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas: And I do not want to be like the dusty one who stretches his hands to the sky, while his clothing is forbidden, his food is forbidden, his drink is forbidden, and he is nourished with what is forbidden, so how will he be answered? And I come to work in the morning at seven thirty, and I sit at my desk, and I do not use the pens, papers, pins, and all work supplies except for work, and I do not use them for my personal needs, but I use them for the needs of the work. However, there are three things I want to ask about—may Allah bless you—and they are: All the employees in the department I work in leave at two in the afternoon, and at two fifteen you will not find anyone in the ministry except rarely. They all leave, including the manager of our department, and also the manager of the section. I have sat for more than one day until two thirty, and I leave the ministry alone, and there is no one there. So is it permissible for me, O Shaykh, to leave with them, or not?
Second: The telephone in the office, on some days, I have tasks and needs that concern me and have nothing to do with work, and I want to talk on the telephone. Is it permissible for me to use the telephone without a work need?
Third: On some days, I have tasks and needs that cannot be done except during working hours, whether inside the ministry or outside it. So I take permission from the section head and leave, and as soon as I finish the task, I return directly to the office. Is this permissible?
Fourth: On some days, I have a full day of work, or I travel to the city where my parents, my wife, and my family live. So I ask permission from the section head, and he grants it, and I am absent for that day, or in the middle of the time he grants me permission. Is this permissible? Knowing, O my Shaykh, that this head of mine has authority over my entry and exit, and the record of entry and exit is done through him and with his permission. I hope, O Shaykh, that you will answer these questions as soon as possible to save me from the whirlwind of thoughts that pursue me, for I do not want to eat what is forbidden. May Allah bless you, benefit through you, and make you a storehouse for the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)?

Answer:
First: We ask Allah for steadfastness for you and us upon the truth, and we ask Allah to accept your supplications. May Allah love you, for you have loved us for His sake.

Second: There is no blame in the four matters you mentioned. First, using the telephone when there is a need: there is nothing wrong with it if it is not excessive, if the need arises for a small amount. We hope there is no blame in that—if Allah wills. The state—praise be to Allah—has much good and widespread benefit, so a small thing is excused in such a case; because the need may call for this at times. Likewise, your leaving at two-fifteen with the people: there is nothing wrong with leaving at two-fifteen. If they sit until half past, sit with them, and if they leave, leave with them. But after two-fifteen, the limit is two-fifteen, and the last quarter is for leaving and going home. There is nothing wrong with leaving with the people at two-fifteen, not before that.
Third: You leave the office with the permission of the responsible person for some needs that arise, or to visit your family on some days, with the permission of your superior, with the permission of the responsible person; there is no blame in that—if Allah wills—while observing the rarity of these things, and striving to have these needs outside of working hours. If a need arises during working hours, and it is not possible to fulfill it except during working hours; then there is no blame in that—if Allah wills. Yes.

The presenter : May Allah reward you with good.