She takes the remaining money after buying food for her company Fatwa No: 122388
- Fatwa Date:20-5-2009
Asalamuallikum Brothers in Islam,
My question is, my wife has recently got a Job, and she is working a cook in to the place I work as an Accountant, she is paid monthly. However she is given money for the daily meal and she goes to the market and by the necessary food staff for her to prepare the meal. And for the money she is given, she always has some balance of it after her shopping. She uses some of this money and buys for us food for our home, and some of it she keeps. I told her to her to return the money when it remains, but she has totally refused retuning it. She however, went and told our boss that, in case she has balance on her shopping and she mentioned some amount e.g. 100 to 300 and our boss said she should take it for her self so long as she is doing to work properly.
But she did not mention the entire amount that she is always having as balance. Is this money hala for us to eat? Please answer.
Thank you for your assistance
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
If your wife takes the money and buys the foodstuff on behalf of her workplace, in this case, she is a deputy, and it is incumbent upon her to return the remaining sum after buying the foodstuff, and she has no right to it; because concealing the whole or part of the amount that remains with her is an act of betraying the trust and consuming the wealth of people unjustly. But if she tells the company about the exact amount of money that remains with her, and she is given permission to take it by someone who is entitled to give such permission, then it would be permissible for her and for anyone who is given it through her to get benefit from it.
As for what she concealed of the remaining money from the company, it is the money of others, and it is unlawful for her or for anyone receiving it through her to take it.
Allaah Knows best.