What Is Meant by Unlawful Money?

In this discussion, unlawful money means wealth that the person who acquired it is not permitted to own or use because of the way it was taken or earned, or because another person's right is attached to it.

Describing money as unlawful usually relates to its owner's right or the way it was acquired; it does not mean that the banknotes themselves are physically impure. In some cases, the money may be lawful for someone to whom it passes through a permissible means. A poor person who receives money as part of another person's proper disposal of unlawful earnings does not sin by benefiting from it. This differs from a thief or the person who earned the unlawful money, who does not make it lawful for himself merely by transferring it to someone else.

Examples include:

• Money that was stolen, usurped, or embezzled.
• Money obtained through fraud, deception, or forgery.
• Trusts, deposits, wages, and rights withheld from those entitled to them.
• Interest and prohibited financial increases.
• Bribes and hidden commissions taken without right.
• Payment for prohibited work or services.
• Proceeds from gambling, games of chance, and prohibited transactions.
• Public funds taken without right.
• The unlawful portion of wealth in which lawful and unlawful earnings have become mixed.

One must not expand the category of prohibition merely on the basis of doubt. The default ruling for wealth and transactions is permissibility unless evidence establishes prohibition. Likewise, the presence of a doubtful element in one portion of a person's wealth does not automatically make all of it unlawful.

The Prohibition of Consuming People's Wealth Unjustly

Allah Most High says:

{وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتُدْلُوا بِهَا إِلَى الْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُوا فَرِيقًا مِنْ أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ بِالْإِثْمِ وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ} [al-Baqarah: 188].

Meaning: {Do not consume one another's wealth unjustly, nor deliberately offer it to authorities in order to consume a portion of other people's wealth sinfully while you know.}

He also says:

{يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ إِلَّا أَنْ تَكُونَ تِجَارَةً عَنْ تَرَاضٍ مِنْكُمْ وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا} [al-Nisa: 29].

Meaning: {O you who believe, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly, but only through trade conducted by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves. Surely Allah is ever Merciful to you.}

Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

"يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، إِنَّ اللَّهَ طَيِّبٌ لَا يَقْبَلُ إِلَّا طَيِّبًا، وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ أَمَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِمَا أَمَرَ بِهِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ، فَقَالَ: {يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا إِنِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ}، وَقَالَ: {يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ}، ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ الرَّجُلَ يُطِيلُ السَّفَرَ أَشْعَثَ أَغْبَرَ، يَمُدُّ يَدَيْهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ: يَا رَبِّ، يَا رَبِّ، وَمَطْعَمُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَمَشْرَبُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَمَلْبَسُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَغُذِيَ بِالْحَرَامِ، فَأَنَّى يُسْتَجَابُ لِذَلِكَ؟"

Meaning: "O people, Allah is Pure and accepts only what is pure. Allah has commanded the believers with what He commanded the messengers. He said: {O messengers, eat from the good things and do righteous deeds. Indeed, I know all that you do}; and He said: {O you who believe, eat from the good things We have provided for you.} Then he mentioned a man who travels a long distance, disheveled and dusty, stretching his hands toward the sky and saying, 'My Lord, my Lord,' while his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing is unlawful, and he has been nourished with what is unlawful. How, then, could he be answered?"

Reported by Muslim.

This hadith warns about the effect of unlawful earnings and calls the Muslim to seek what is lawful in his food, drink, clothing, and spending, without despairing of Allah's mercy if he repents and makes amends.

Not Every Form of Unlawful Money Has the Same Ruling

The most important step before taking action is to identify the type of money, because the method of repentance differs according to its type.

First: Money That Has a Specific Owner

This includes any money taken without right from a known person, company, or institution, such as through theft, usurpation, embezzlement, or fraud. It also includes money transferred to an account by mistake, wages taken for hours an employee did not work without permission, or a trust denied by the person holding it.

This money must be returned to its owner, or the owner's forgiveness must be sought. It is not permissible to give it in charity when the owner can be reached, because charity does not extinguish the owner's right.

Second: Unlawful Earnings Received for a Prohibited Contract or Work

Examples include interest, wages for directly performing prohibited work, gambling proceeds, payment for a prohibited service, and a bribe when its payer was not an oppressed person compelled to pay in order to obtain his right.

If a person knowingly received this money, then repented while it remained in his possession, the basic ruling is that he must dispose of it by giving it to the poor or spending it on a beneficial public interest. He should not intend it as voluntary charity from his pure wealth, nor benefit from it personally. Some situations involve further details and scholarly disagreement, especially in cases of severe poverty or interconnected contracts. This must not be treated as an open door for keeping the money; rather, the person should ask a trustworthy scholar about his specific case.

Third: Wealth in Which Lawful and Unlawful Money Are Mixed

If part of a person's income is lawful and part is unlawful, all his wealth is not automatically ruled unlawful. He must identify the unlawful portion and remove it according to its ruling. If it belongs to another person, he returns it; if it is an unlawful earning with no specific owner, he disposes of it through beneficial channels.

Fourth: Money from a Disputed Transaction or Acquired in Ignorance of Its Prohibition

A person must not declare his own money unlawful merely because of a video clip or an assumption, nor may he permit a prohibited transaction merely because he found someone who downplayed it. If a transaction is subject to recognized scholarly disagreement, if the person entered it while following a trustworthy scholar, or if he was genuinely unaware of the ruling and later learned it, the ruling on what has already passed may differ from that of someone who knowingly and deliberately pursued what was prohibited.

Allah Most High says concerning riba:

{الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ الرِّبَا لَا يَقُومُونَ إِلَّا كَمَا يَقُومُ الَّذِي يَتَخَبَّطُهُ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنَ الْمَسِّ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا الْبَيْعُ مِثْلُ الرِّبَا وَأَحَلَّ اللَّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا فَمَنْ جَاءَهُ مَوْعِظَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ فَانْتَهَى فَلَهُ مَا سَلَفَ وَأَمْرُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَمَنْ عَادَ فَأُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ} [al-Baqarah: 275].

Meaning: {Those who consume riba will not stand except as one driven to madness by Satan's touch. That is because they say, "Trade is just like riba," while Allah has permitted trade and forbidden riba. Whoever receives an admonition from his Lord and stops may keep what has already passed, and his affair rests with Allah. But whoever returns to it, they are the people of the Fire, remaining there forever.}

This verse is among the texts containing a severe warning against riba. One of the principles of Ahl al-Sunnah is that a Muslim does not become a disbeliever merely by committing a major sin while believing it to be prohibited. Rather, he is a sinner exposed to the warning, and if he dies without repentance he remains under Allah's will. Allah Most High says:

{إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَمَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرَى إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا} [al-Nisa: 48].

Meaning: {Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating partners with Him, but He forgives anything less than that for whomever He wills. Whoever associates partners with Allah has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin.}

As for declaring unquestionably prohibited matters lawful while possessing knowledge and after the proof has been established, that is another subject with conditions and impediments. A person who is not qualified in Islamic knowledge may not apply a ruling of disbelief to a specific individual.

Whoever learns the ruling must stop immediately. Applying the ruling to what occurred in a particular past case, however, depends on the kind of money, the person's knowledge of the ruling, and the true nature of the contract. The details should therefore be presented to a trustworthy scholar.

Conditions of Repentance from Unlawful Money

Sincere repentance from unlawful money is fulfilled through the following:

• Being sincere to Allah and seeking His forgiveness.
• Immediately abandoning the source of the unlawful earnings.
• Regretting what has passed.
• Firmly resolving not to return to it.
• Returning money and rights to their owners whenever they have specific owners.
• Disposing of unlawful earnings that the recipient is not entitled to keep and that are not to be returned to the payer, according to the relevant Islamic details.
• Correcting one's contracts, work, and methods of earning so that the income becomes lawful.

For a general and detailed explanation of the conditions of repentance, read How to Repent to Allah Sincerely.

How to Dispose of Unlawful Money Step by Step

Step One: Stop the Unlawful Source Immediately

Cancel the prohibited contract when possible without creating a new injustice. Leave the prohibited job or task through whatever permissible means are available. Stop interest, fraud, hidden commissions, and every other means that generates money without right.

Giving away part of the money while continuing its source is not enough, because disposing of part of the proceeds does not make the prohibited transaction lawful.

Step Two: Make a Clear List

Gather contracts, account statements, invoices, and transfers, and record:

• The source of every questionable amount.
• Its amount or the closest reasonable estimate.
• The date it was taken.
• Whether it has a specific owner.
• Whether the money remains or has been spent.
• Whether it generated profit or was invested in a business.

Writing this down prevents forgetfulness, helps restore rights accurately, and identifies which matters require a specific ruling.

Step Three: Classify the Money Before Removing It

Do not immediately send all of the money to a charitable organization. Divide it into:

• Rights that must be returned to their owners.
• Unlawful earnings with no specific owner that must be disposed of through beneficial channels.
• Lawful money that does not need to be removed.
• Unclear cases that require a ruling after their details are presented.

Step Four: Estimate the Amount Honestly

If you know the amount with certainty, remove the entire amount. If you do not know it, make a sincere estimate that you reasonably believe will clear your liability, taking sensible caution without falling into obsessive doubt or negligence.

For example, if someone knows the unlawful amount is between one thousand and fifteen hundred but cannot obtain a more precise figure, he should remove an amount with which he can be confident that his liability is cleared. Deliberately choosing the lowest estimate simply to reduce what must be returned is not sincere repentance.

Step Five: Restore Rights to Their Owners

Return the money to its owner. If the owner has died, return it to the heirs. If it belongs to a company or public institution, return it through a secure method. The money may reach its owner through a transfer, a trustworthy intermediary, or another permissible method that preserves the repentant person's privacy. He does not have to disclose the details of the sin if the full right reaches its owner and no remaining harm needs to be explained.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

"مَنْ كَانَتْ لَهُ مَظْلَمَةٌ لِأَخِيهِ مِنْ عِرْضِهِ أَوْ شَيْءٍ، فَلْيَتَحَلَّلْهُ مِنْهُ الْيَوْمَ، قَبْلَ أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ دِينَارٌ وَلَا دِرْهَمٌ، إِنْ كَانَ لَهُ عَمَلٌ صَالِحٌ أُخِذَ مِنْهُ بِقَدْرِ مَظْلَمَتِهِ، وَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ لَهُ حَسَنَاتٌ أُخِذَ مِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ صَاحِبِهِ فَحُمِلَ عَلَيْهِ"

Meaning: "Whoever has wronged his brother concerning his honor or anything else should seek his pardon today, before there will be neither dinar nor dirham. If he has righteous deeds, some will be taken from him in proportion to his wrongdoing; and if he has no good deeds, some of the wronged person's sins will be taken and placed upon him."

Reported by al-Bukhari.

The obligation to restore rights is not limited to Muslims. Trusts and wealth must be returned to their owners, whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims whose wealth is protected. Allah Most High says:

{إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَنْ تُؤَدُّوا الْأَمَانَاتِ إِلَى أَهْلِهَا وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُمْ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ أَنْ تَحْكُمُوا بِالْعَدْلِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ نِعِمَّا يَعِظُكُمْ بِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا} [al-Nisa: 58].

Meaning: {Indeed, Allah commands you to return trusts to their rightful owners; and when you judge between people, judge with fairness. What a noble commandment from Allah to you. Surely Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.}

Step Six: Search for an Unknown Owner

If the money was stolen or lost, or it is a right belonging to someone whose identity you no longer know, you must make a reasonable effort to reach that person or the heirs without making an announcement that might allow someone else to claim the right falsely. If the owner cannot be reached after a genuine search, give the money in charity on his behalf to a poor person or spend it on a public benefit, intending the reward for the owner.

If the owner later appears, tell him what you did. If he approves the charity, the matter is settled. If he demands his right, pay it to him, and the reward of the charity will belong to the person who gave it, Allah willing.

Step Seven: Dispose of Unlawful Earnings That Have No Specific Owner

Give this money to a poor or needy person, or spend it on a permissible public benefit, intending to dispose of it and clear your liability. Do not intend that it has become voluntary charity from pure earnings. It is also impermissible to evade the ruling by giving it to someone who will return it to you or by spending it on something that gives you a direct financial benefit.

Step Eight: Correct the Remaining Effects

If fraud resulted in an ongoing contract, a bribe caused injustice to someone, or forgery deprived someone of a right, removing the money alone is insufficient. The injustice must also be removed and the right restored as far as possible. If the matter involves a crime, legal claim, public funds, or multiple rights, the repentant person should combine consultation with a trustworthy scholar and a reliable legal professional or authority. He must not forge a document, destroy evidence, or create a new injustice under the pretext of concealing his sin.

Step Nine: Move to a Lawful Alternative

Look for permissible work, adjust your business or duties, correct your contracts, and seek reward from Allah for abandoning what is unlawful. Allah Most High says:

{فَإِذَا بَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ فَأَمْسِكُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ فَارِقُوهُنَّ بِمَعْرُوفٍ وَأَشْهِدُوا ذَوَيْ عَدْلٍ مِنْكُمْ وَأَقِيمُوا الشَّهَادَةَ لِلَّهِ ذَلِكُمْ يُوعَظُ بِهِ مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا * وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ وَمَنْ يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْرًا} [al-Talaq: 2-3].

Meaning: {When they have almost reached the end of their waiting period, either retain them honorably or separate from them honorably. Call two just witnesses from among you and bear true testimony for Allah. This is enjoined upon whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day. Whoever is mindful of Allah, He will make a way out for him and provide for him from sources he could never imagine. Whoever puts his trust in Allah, He is sufficient for him. Allah will certainly accomplish His purpose. Allah has set a measure for everything.}

Waiting for an ideal job must not become an excuse for continuing prohibited work. If ending a contract or handing over entrusted property requires a process, complete the permissible procedures without personally carrying out what is prohibited or wasting people's rights. Seek Allah's help and take the lawful means available.

Rulings According to the Type of Money and Transaction

How Should Stolen or Usurped Money Be Returned?

Stolen or usurped money remains the property of its owner. The person who took it does not acquire ownership through the passage of time, by spending it, or by investing it. He must:

• Return the item itself if it still exists and has not changed.
• Return an equivalent if it is the kind of item that has an equivalent replacement.
• Return its value or the required compensation if it was destroyed, according to the Islamic ruling.
• Return it to the heirs if its owner has died.
• Give it in charity on behalf of its owner if neither the owner nor the heirs can be reached after a genuine search.

If the stolen money was invested and produced a profit, or its value changed substantially, the ruling on the profit and liability may vary according to the method of investment and the nature of the transgression. The person should not decide for himself what he may keep; rather, he should present the figures and details to a trustworthy scholar.

Bank Interest and Riba: What Should a Repentant Person Do?

Allah Most High says:

{يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَذَرُوا مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الرِّبَا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ * فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا فَأْذَنُوا بِحَرْبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَإِنْ تُبْتُمْ فَلَكُمْ رُءُوسُ أَمْوَالِكُمْ لَا تَظْلِمُونَ وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ} [al-Baqarah: 278-279].

Meaning: {O you who believe, be mindful of Allah and give up whatever remains of riba, if you are truly believers. If you do not, then beware of war from Allah and His Messenger. But if you repent, you may retain your principal, neither inflicting nor suffering harm.}

Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, reported:

"لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ آكِلَ الرِّبَا، وَمُؤْكِلَهُ، وَكَاتِبَهُ، وَشَاهِدَيْهِ، وَقَالَ: هُمْ سَوَاءٌ"

Meaning: "The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, cursed the one who consumes riba, the one who pays it, the one who records it, and its two witnesses, and he said: They are all alike."

Reported by Muslim.

Someone repenting from interest must:

• Stop the interest-based contract or account according to his ability and move it to a permissible alternative.
• Separate his principal from the interest increase.
• Keep his lawful principal.
• Dispose of interest received after knowing its prohibition by giving it to the poor or spending it on permissible public interests.
• Not count it toward his zakah or use its disposal as a justification for continuing in riba.

As for someone who was genuinely ignorant of the ruling, or who relied upon a ruling from a scholar whose knowledge he trusted and then stopped when the prohibition reached him, what he received before learning involves details connected to the preceding verse about riba in Surat al-Baqarah. He should not treat himself as someone who knowingly and deliberately engaged in riba, and he should ask a trustworthy scholar after honestly explaining his circumstances.

For further details, read Debts, Loans and Riba in Islam.

Payment for Prohibited Work or Services

If the task itself is prohibited, such as drafting an interest-based contract for the purpose of completing it, promoting something prohibited, or directly assisting fraud, gambling, or sexual immorality, the person must leave that task, repent, and dispose of the payment corresponding to the prohibited work if it remains in his possession and he took it while knowing the ruling.

If the work itself is permissible but the employer combines permissible and prohibited transactions, the entire salary is not automatically ruled unlawful merely because the employer's resources are mixed. The employee's actual duties must be considered. If his work is permissible and does not directly assist what is prohibited, it does not have the same ruling as payment for prohibited work itself. If his duties or the sources of income overlap, he should present his job description and contract to a trustworthy scholar.

If the organization's primary activity is based on what is prohibited, such as an institution founded upon riba or gambling, it is not the same as a company whose primary activity is permissible but whose money is mixed. The preceding distinction must not be used to justify working for such an organization.

Someone who received wages for days or hours he did not work without valid permission must correct the record if possible, work the corresponding time with the employer's approval, or return the excess amount.

Bribery, Hidden Commissions, and Fraud

A bribe paid to obtain something false, place someone ahead of a person who has a greater right, or evade an obligation is prohibited for the payer, recipient, and intermediary who assists them.

If someone cannot obtain an established right or repel an injustice except by paying money, and does not thereby wrong another person, a group of scholars permitted the payment for him, while the sin falls upon the recipient. Therefore, a bribe received from an oppressed person who was compelled to pay it must not be given away in charity by the recipient; it must be returned to the payer.

A gift or commission that an employee or agent receives because of his position or agency, without the employer's or principal's permission, may constitute misappropriation or betrayal of trust. Renaming it a gift does not make it lawful. It must be returned to the person entitled to it, or that person's explicit permission must be obtained.

As for the price of an item obtained through fraud, the fraud must be corrected and the excess amount returned, or the contract rescinded according to the buyer's right. It is not enough for the fraudulent seller to give some of his own money in charity while the buyer's right remains outstanding.

Mixed Wealth and Inability to Restore Rights

What Should Someone Do If Lawful and Unlawful Money Are Mixed?

He should neither discard all the money nor keep all of it. Instead, he should:

• Identify the amounts that have specific owners and return them.
• Calculate unlawful earnings that have no specific owner and dispose of them.
• Keep and benefit from the lawful portion.
• If the amount is unknown, make a sincere estimate that he reasonably believes will clear his liability.
• Keep a record of what he has removed so that he neither repeats the calculation nor forgets a right.

Religious caution does not mean surrendering to obsessive doubt. Once a person has removed the amount he reasonably believes is due after a sincere investigation, he does not have to recalculate whenever a baseless doubt occurs to him.

What If the Unlawful Money Has Been Spent and Is No Longer in Hand?

If the money belongs to another person, it remains a debt in the taker's liability even after it has been spent, and he must repay it when able. If it was an unlawful earning with no specific owner's right attached and was spent before repentance, the details of liability vary according to the kind of earning, the person's knowledge of the prohibition, and his circumstances. He must not equate it with theft, nor declare himself exempt. He should ask a trustworthy scholar.

What If Someone Cannot Restore All the Rights Now?

Present inability does not cancel a right, but it does not prevent repentance from beginning. The person should:

• Return whatever he can immediately.
• Establish a realistic installment plan from his lawful income.
• Record the rights and debts so they are not lost if he dies.
• Ask the owner for additional time or a permissible settlement if possible.
• Reduce unnecessary expenses until the rights are fulfilled.
• Not enter an interest-based loan to treat one sin with another.

He should be sincere in his intention and exert his full ability. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

"مَنْ أَخَذَ أَمْوَالَ النَّاسِ يُرِيدُ أَدَاءَهَا أَدَّى اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَمَنْ أَخَذَ يُرِيدُ إِتْلَافَهَا أَتْلَفَهُ اللَّهُ"

Meaning: "Whoever takes people's money intending to repay it, Allah will repay it on his behalf; and whoever takes it intending to destroy it, Allah will destroy him."

Reported by al-Bukhari.

Is Disposing of Unlawful Money Considered Charity?

If the money is another person's right, returning it is the performance of an obligation, not charity. If it is an unlawful earning that must be removed, removing it is disposal of what is unlawful, not voluntary charity from pure wealth. The person must not count it toward his zakah or remind the poor recipient of it as a favor.

It is hoped that the repentant person will be rewarded for sincere repentance, obeying Allah's command, and striving against himself, but he does not seek the reward of charity for the very property that he is not permitted to retain.

The poor person who receives this money through its proper disposal may benefit from it, because the prohibition relates to the first person's method of earning, not to the poor person's method of acquiring it.

Common Mistakes When Disposing of Unlawful Money

• Giving stolen money in charity despite being able to return it to its owner.
• Removing a token amount while keeping most of the unlawful earnings.
• Continuing an interest-based contract on the pretext that the interest is being distributed.
• Counting money being disposed of toward obligatory zakah.
• Paying personal debts and expenses with it.
• Treating all wealth as unlawful because of doubt concerning a small portion.
• Returning payment for prohibited work to the payer without determining whether doing so assists him or allows him to retain both the payment and the benefit.
• Relying on assumptions in a complex contractual or financial matter without presenting the actual contract.
• Despairing of repentance because all rights cannot be repaid at once.
• Surrendering to obsessive doubt after making a sincere estimate and removing the right.

When Must a Trustworthy Scholar Be Consulted?

A specific ruling must be sought when any of the following is present:

• The money of multiple people or public institutions is mixed together.
• Profits resulted from investing stolen or usurped money.
• A company has intertwined lawful and prohibited activities.
• A banking, insurance, or investment contract is complex.
• An estate contains both people's rights and unlawful earnings.
• There is severe inability or poverty and no alternative income.
• There is a dispute about the value of the money, a change in its value, or the compensation due.
• A particular method of repayment may cause legal harm or loss of a right.

The questioner should present the facts, figures, and contracts as they actually are, not merely the result he hopes to obtain, because the ruling changes when the true nature of the transaction changes.