What Is the Ruling on Using Someone Else’s Used Bus or Train Ticket to Avoid Paying?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
How should someone repent if they use someone else’s used bus and train tickets? If the person is unsure how many times they used the ticket.
This person has calculated its value and does not have enough money to repay the bus company because the fare is too high (€92.05), and this person is still in school and does not work.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. It is a great blessing that you are seeking an answer and guidance from a young age.
All you have to do is return the estimated money to the train and bus companies. Save up as you can and, in the meantime, contact the relevant department of the bus and train companies via email, phone, etc., so that you can easily return it ultimately when the time comes, or you can purchase a series of train and bus tickets and not use them, and the money will be returned to the relevant department. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar; Nahlawi, al-Durar al-Mubaha]
If the Company Has No Procedure
If there isn’t a procedure to return the money, it can be given to charity as a last resort, hoping that having it removed from your possession will be accepted as part of your repentance.
Regret is Part of Sound repentance
‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (Allah be pleased with him) reported the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Regret is part of repentance.” [Ibn Majah]
We should repent to Allah Most High and ask forgiveness, resolve never to repeat the acts we did, and always try to restore the value of any item in this manner to the rightful owners.
Related:
Returning Money Acquired Wrongfully
Theft Archives
How Do I Get Rid Of Haram Money?
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
