Islamic Rulings on Usurped Property and the Obligation to Return It
Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori
Linguistic meaning: The word Ghaṣb comes from the verb غَصَبَ يَغْصِبُ (pattern of ḍaraba) meaning “to forcibly take something.” The form اِغْتَصَبَ in the pattern of iftiʿāl carries the same meaning.
[al-Munjid, p. 208; al-Qāmūs al-Muḥīṭ, p. 154]
Sharʿī definition: To take someone else’s right and forcibly seize it.
[Fiqh al-Sunnah, 3/323]
① Allah ﷻ says:
﴿لَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِالْبَاطِلِ﴾
“Do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly.” [al-Nisāʾ: 29]
② The Prophet ﷺ said:
إنما أموالكم ودماؤكم عليكم حرام
“Indeed, your wealth and your blood are sacred among you.”
[Bukhārī 67; Muslim 1679; Abū Dāwūd 1948]
③ He ﷺ also said:
من اقتطع شبرا من الأرض ظلما طوقه الله إياه من سبع أرضين
“Whoever wrongfully takes a span of land, Allah will encircle him with it from the seven earths on the Day of Resurrection.”
[Bukhārī 2452; Muslim 1611]
④ Anas رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
لا يحل مال امرئ مسلم إلا بطيبة من نفسه
“The wealth of a Muslim is not lawful except with his willing consent.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ li-ghayrih – graded by Shuʿayb al-Arnaʾūṭ; Musnad Aḥmad 21082]
If someone cultivates land without the owner’s permission, he gets no share in the produce—only compensation for expenses.
① Rāfiʿ ibn Khadīj رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
من زرع فى أرض قوم بغير إذنهم فليس له من الزرع شيء وله نفقة
“Whoever plants in the land of a people without their permission will have no share in the crop, but he will be entitled to the expenses.”
[Abū Dāwūd 3403; Ibn Mājah 2466; al-Tirmidhī 1366 – Ṣaḥīḥ]
② Two men came to the Prophet ﷺ with a land dispute. One had planted date trees without permission. The Prophet ﷺ ruled:
“The land belongs to the owner, and the planter should uproot his trees.”
And he said:
ليس لعرق ظالم حق
“There is no right for the root of an oppressor.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd 2638–2639]
Using usurped property is not permissible. If the item is destroyed, one must return its equivalent or its value.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
لا ياخذن أحدكم متاع أخيه لاعبا ولا جادا ومن أخذ عصا أخيه فليردها
“None of you should take his brother’s belongings in seriousness or in jest; and whoever takes his brother’s stick should return it.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd 4183; al-Tirmidhī 2160]
An incident: The Prophet ﷺ was at one of his wives’ homes when another wife (Ṣafiyyah رضي الله عنها) sent food in a dish. ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها struck the dish, breaking it. The Prophet ﷺ gathered the food, told them to eat, sent back an intact dish in replacement, and kept the broken one.
He ﷺ said:
طعام بطعام وإناء بإناء
“Food for food, and vessel for vessel.”
[Bukhārī 2481; Abū Dāwūd 3567; al-Tirmidhī 1359]
Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori
◈ Definition of Ghaṣb (Usurpation)
Linguistic meaning: The word Ghaṣb comes from the verb غَصَبَ يَغْصِبُ (pattern of ḍaraba) meaning “to forcibly take something.” The form اِغْتَصَبَ in the pattern of iftiʿāl carries the same meaning.
[al-Munjid, p. 208; al-Qāmūs al-Muḥīṭ, p. 154]
Sharʿī definition: To take someone else’s right and forcibly seize it.
[Fiqh al-Sunnah, 3/323]
◈ Prohibition of Consuming Wealth Unjustly
① Allah ﷻ says:
﴿لَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِالْبَاطِلِ﴾
“Do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly.” [al-Nisāʾ: 29]
② The Prophet ﷺ said:
إنما أموالكم ودماؤكم عليكم حرام
“Indeed, your wealth and your blood are sacred among you.”
[Bukhārī 67; Muslim 1679; Abū Dāwūd 1948]
③ He ﷺ also said:
من اقتطع شبرا من الأرض ظلما طوقه الله إياه من سبع أرضين
“Whoever wrongfully takes a span of land, Allah will encircle him with it from the seven earths on the Day of Resurrection.”
[Bukhārī 2452; Muslim 1611]
④ Anas رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
لا يحل مال امرئ مسلم إلا بطيبة من نفسه
“The wealth of a Muslim is not lawful except with his willing consent.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ li-ghayrih – graded by Shuʿayb al-Arnaʾūṭ; Musnad Aḥmad 21082]
◈ No Right for the Oppressor
If someone cultivates land without the owner’s permission, he gets no share in the produce—only compensation for expenses.
① Rāfiʿ ibn Khadīj رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
من زرع فى أرض قوم بغير إذنهم فليس له من الزرع شيء وله نفقة
“Whoever plants in the land of a people without their permission will have no share in the crop, but he will be entitled to the expenses.”
[Abū Dāwūd 3403; Ibn Mājah 2466; al-Tirmidhī 1366 – Ṣaḥīḥ]
② Two men came to the Prophet ﷺ with a land dispute. One had planted date trees without permission. The Prophet ﷺ ruled:
“The land belongs to the owner, and the planter should uproot his trees.”
And he said:
ليس لعرق ظالم حق
“There is no right for the root of an oppressor.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd 2638–2639]
◈ Using or Damaging Usurped Items
Using usurped property is not permissible. If the item is destroyed, one must return its equivalent or its value.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
لا ياخذن أحدكم متاع أخيه لاعبا ولا جادا ومن أخذ عصا أخيه فليردها
“None of you should take his brother’s belongings in seriousness or in jest; and whoever takes his brother’s stick should return it.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd 4183; al-Tirmidhī 2160]
◈ Replacing Damaged Items
An incident: The Prophet ﷺ was at one of his wives’ homes when another wife (Ṣafiyyah رضي الله عنها) sent food in a dish. ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها struck the dish, breaking it. The Prophet ﷺ gathered the food, told them to eat, sent back an intact dish in replacement, and kept the broken one.
He ﷺ said:
طعام بطعام وإناء بإناء
“Food for food, and vessel for vessel.”
[Bukhārī 2481; Abū Dāwūd 3567; al-Tirmidhī 1359]
