I’m Not Sure If I Caused Damage to a Car and I’ve Now Driven Off. What Should I Do?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam
Question: Assalam’aleykum,
Whilst dropping my mother I accidentally scuffed the front bumper of a car. I don’t know if the scuff was already there or if I did it. After we were finished I drove off but the scuff mark kept on bothering me.
What should I do?
Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
If you are reasonably sure you caused the damage, you should have waited for the driver in order to apologise, or minimally, you should have left a note, perhaps with a contact number.
If you are unsure, or it was the kind of bump which would not normally cause damage, you can assume that you did not do it and the other vehicle was already marked in the way you describe.
However, you can consider giving some charity on behalf of the person, or at least supplicating for them with something general, in case they were not Muslim, as a way of rectifying the potential wrong.
Please see also: Making the Servant Pay for Damages Caused by Negligence
And Allah Most High alone knows best.
wassalam,
Tabraze Azam
Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
