Is It Permissible to Steal in Response to Government’s Unjust Charges?
(Taken from: Aḥkām wa Masā’il – Issues of Buying & Selling, vol. 1, p. 384)
❖ Question:
In the present era, governments impose various unjust taxes and unnecessary surcharges that are unbearable for common people. If the government “steals” in this way, can a person also commit theft in return, to compensate for what the government has taken from him?
❖ Answer:
Alḥamdulillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ‘alā Rasūlillāh, ammā ba‘d:
No, such an act is not permissible.
Stealing can never be justified under any pretext. A theft remains theft, regardless of the reason behind it.
❖ Important Exception:
There is one specific case where secretly taking away something is allowed in Sharī‘ah, and that is:
✔ The release of Muslim prisoners from the captivity of disbelievers.
Evidence:
It is narrated that Marṯad ibn Abī Marṯad رضي الله عنه used to secretly free Muslim prisoners from Makkah and bring them to Madinah.
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd – Kitāb al-Nikāḥ, Bāb fī Qawlihi al-Zānī lā Yankiḥu illā Zāniyah; Jāmi‘ al-Tirmidhī – Tafsīr Sūrah al-Nūr; Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, vol. 3, p. 516)
❖ Conclusion:
✘ It is not permissible to steal in response to government taxes or surcharges, no matter how unjust they may appear.
✔ The only recognized exception is rescuing Muslim prisoners from the captivity of disbelievers.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
