Is It Haram to Accept Monetary Gifts from Suspected Drug Dealers?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

Is it permissible for a lady to eat her own placenta?

Answer

I pray you are well.

Taking money from someone who has a haram income is, in general, permissible – provided that the one taking it is poor. This would be someone who does not have the the amount of the nisab of zakat in cash, nor excess goods, such as an extra laptop, phone, car, etc beyond one’s essential needs amounting to that much.

If one is not like this then it would not be permissible to take it from him if one knows that his income is all haram.

If his income is from both halal and haram sources, then if it is kept separate from the other source, it is permissible to take anything from the halal, not the haram. If the halal income is indistinguishable then one can take money from him, but only up to the amount that would halal.

What To Do With Haram Income?

For someone who has haram income, if it has been taken from someone, such as stolen money, etc, it needs to be returned to the owner. It is has been gained via another means the possessor of it needs to remove it from his possession. The easiest way to do this is by giving it to the poor, who are legitimately allowed to take it and benefit from it. (Usmani, Fiqh al Buyu’)

Avoiding Bad Suspicion

Having said this, one should be wary of suspecting ill of others if there are no reasonable indications towards it. Allah has said, “O Believers, shun much [forms of suspicion]. Indeed, some suspicion is a great sin.” (Qur’an, 49:12)

If one  has an inkling that that the income of someone who is giving them a gift is from a halal source then it is best to clear the air. Asking in a direct – yet polite, non- accusatory – way is the best approach in most cases. If it is not the case then you have acted honourably and not perpetuated a false notion about a person. Otherwise, you have an opportunity to give a timely reminder.

The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said, ”Indeed, the Holy Spirit (the angel Jibril) whispered into my soul that no soul will die until it fully attains is rizq. So fear Allah and seek it in a good way. Allah’s generosity cannot be attained through disobeying Him.” (Hakim)

The lesson here is that one’s rizq will come no matter what. So seeking it through a halal means is just as effective as what people thing the ‘quick and easy’ method is.

The problem is that haram money is devoid of blessings, and will leave the person who earns it liable to punishment. We ask Allah for His protection.

May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History, he moved to Damascus in 2007, where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital. He was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.