My right was taken from me by force; is it permissible for me to recover it through forgery?

The Shaykh : As for what you mentioned regarding forgery, it is clearly not permissible, because in Islam, "the end does not justify the means."

The questioner : It is not a matter of "the end justifies the means," but rather: our enemies took my right by force, so is it not permissible for me to recover my right through a crooked path?

The Shaykh: What is it?

The questioner : The right is this certificate.

The Shaykh : What is "the end justifies the means" if this is not the case?

The questioner : Well, many scholars have issued rulings—I do not know if you have issued a ruling on this or not—such as bribery, for example, to a traffic officer who stops you every time you drive, until he bankrupts me and makes me sit at the door of the mosque begging. They said that if the matter is such and there is no way out, pay him a little, and, if Allah wills, the bribe is not haram. Bribery is more dangerous than forgery, because this forgery is a paper they refused to give me, whereas that is a real bribe.

The Shaykh : Without offense, you do not need a scholar to consult. You are not asking me for myself; I am speaking for all the scholars. You are now saying that bribery is less severe than forgery. No, on the contrary. Who issued this ruling for you?

The questioner : There is a specific Shari'ah text regarding bribery, not just one text. There is no text stating that one should not forge a paper in the name of someone who is supposed to give them to you.

The Shaykh : No, I am satisfied with you saying that you do not need anyone to consult, and you are answering my question: who issued this ruling for you? Is bribery absolutely permissible?

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : Well, is every bribe to any police officer permissible?

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : So, who determines that this is permissible and that is not? The one who wants to bribe someone else, or the scholar who has not witnessed the bribery? And where does he get this scholar to ask, "Should I bribe this police officer now or not?" Is this a practical case or purely hypothetical?

The questioner : Perhaps one explains the situation to the scholar one hundred percent. This is the situation.

The Shaykh : You took my words literally. The police officer stops you and wants to impose a fine or tax on you, and you now want to bribe him. Where is the scholar you want to consult? You are making yourself a mufti, just as you are making yourself a mufti now without realizing or feeling it. I mean this when I say, may Allah bless you, since you are fully convinced with us that not every bribe is permissible. In this case and that case, who distinguishes? The scholar or the ignorant person?

The questioner : It must be referred to the people of knowledge.

The Shaykh : Well, but this case I am describing to you now, and you are the one investigating it, cannot be referred to a scholar because it is a case being handled right now. Either you pay the tax he imposed on you, or you pay the bribe which you yourself saw as permissible. Where is the scholar you want to consult? Perhaps you have realized what I am trying to say. Then, regarding the bribe, apart from what you are in now, you just said people wronged you. Well, if it is permissible for you to meet injustice with injustice, you meet the wrongdoer with injustice, not someone else, based on the saying, "Another sinned, and I am the one punished among you," "as if I were the finger of the regretful one." Do you know this proverb, I think?

The questioner : First time.

The Shaykh : Usually, some people, when they regret doing something, bite their fingers. They may know, out of intense anger at themselves, but they vent their frustration on whom?

The questioner : On their fingers.

The Shaykh : What did their poor fingers do?! This is the meaning of the poet's saying:
"Another sinned, and I am the one punished among you, as if I were the finger of the regretful one."
Better than this poetry is the saying of Allah the Exalted: . So I said: the wrongdoer did not wrong you, so it is not permissible for you to wrong someone else. Your hand comes out to wrong him. You wrong him, and yet I will tell you it is not permissible for you to wrong him. Why? Because this type of injustice does not allow the application of the Qur'anic rule, which is the saying of Allah the Exalted: . The principle of reciprocity here cannot be applied. Knowing that, in my opinion, you may know that the verse is not absolute even in cases where aggression can be met with reciprocity. is not absolute. For example, if the aggression is against one's honor, is it permissible to meet it with the same?

The questioner : It is not permissible.

The Shaykh : So the verse.

The questioner : It is not like that.

The Shaykh : It is not like that. I clarified it for you, but I wanted to say something else. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . This is often asked about: a worker at an employer's place who has been owed a month's salary or less or more, it does not matter. A question comes up: I have a trust with him, for example, some goods, some machines, and so on. Is it permissible for me to take them in exchange for his injustice to me? Here, the hadith falls directly as an answer to it: . He betrayed you, so Allah is sufficient for you, but you do not betray. And our matter is much further removed. People have aggressed against you, and now you want to forge and vent your frustration on others. It is not permissible. In any case, I see that most certificates today are not for the sake of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Studies are not for the sake of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), except for a very few, whether among teachers or students. Most of them, and we do not say all of them, seek the adornment of this worldly life. This one teaches for the salary, and this one studies with this teacher in order to become like him one day and take a salary, and so on. And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says: . And knowledge, without a doubt, as is not hidden from everyone, is among the best acts of worship that bring its owner closer to Allah. And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says: , , and He says: , to the end of the hadith. Why? Because he did not seek knowledge for the sake of Allah. And if the matter is so, I believe that the Muslim who is eager to worship Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and obey Him can organize the affairs of his work by which he earns his daily sustenance, so that he does not devote all his time to work, but only within the limits of what is beneficial from it. The saying of Allah the Exalted: . As for the principle, it is to turn to the Hereafter. Perhaps it is obligatory for every Muslim to always remember the saying of Allah the Exalted: . So, may Allah bless you, turn your attention completely away from thinking, and not just from proceeding, to forgery. Do not think that this forgery is permissible. I say it is permissible according to one of the schools of thought, the school of Abu Nuwas, who said: "And I cured with that which was the disease." Heh.