Can she use things that her father takes from work unlawfully?

Question 31217

My problem is that my father works for one of the airline companies and sometimes he brings things home with him, either from the airplanes or from the airport. I tell him that this is not permissible and that it is haraam, and I say, “This doesn’t belong to you,” but he does not listen to my advice, even though he is religiously committed or he appears outwardly to be committed. I am trying to make him inwardly committed too, but he does not respond to me. I think that he does not accept that from me because I am his daughter and I am confused about the things that he brings home and I do not use them. But sometimes I am forced to use them because he does not buy them from the market, on the grounds that we already have them, but they are from a haraam source. What is the ruling on these things? If I use them unwillingly or because I am forced to, what is the ruling?

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Your question covers two issues:

1 – Your father taking things that belong to his work without permission.

2 – Your using this property that your father has brought home.

1 – With regard to your father, it is haraam for him to take something without the permission of its owner, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And eat up not one another’s property unjustly (in any illegal way, e.g. stealing, robbing, deceiving)”

[al-Baqarah 2:188]

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “It is not permissible for you to take the property of a Muslim except with his consent.” (Narrated by Ahmad, 201172). On this basis, you have to advise your father to return these things to their owner; he will be a sinner unless he does that. If he does not know who the owner is, then he should give them in charity.

2 – With regard to other members of the household apart from your father, it is not permissible for them to use these things, because they have been taken unlawfully, except in cases of necessity where a person fears that he will miss out on some benefitor he fears losing a limb or his life. In this case it is permitted but only as much as is necessary.

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Can she use things that her father takes from work unlawfully?

Question 31217

Answer