Has large amount of Haraam money to get rid of Fatwa No: 90152
- Fatwa Date:9-6-2005
I have Haraam money in big amount how can I use it I know I can give to my family without them knowing the source can I also pay off my loans or I don't know I need a Fatwa of how I can spend the money I also have a car from the same money what should I do with it.
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 is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
First of all, a person who earned forbidden money is obliged to sincerely repent to Allaah fulfilling all the conditions of repentance which are mentioned in Fatwa: 87903.
If the forbidden money belongs to someone, like stolen money, then you have to give the money back to its owner, and you will not be exempted from your sin unless you do that, as this is one of the conditions of repentance. If the owner of such money passed away, you are obliged to give it to his heirs. If the owner of this money and his heirs are not known, then you are obliged to give it away on his behalf for the public interest of the Muslims, like building schools, paving roads, building orphanages and nursery homes for the poor, and the reward will be for the owner of this money.
However, if the forbidden money does not have an owner at all, like interest, proceeds from gambling, and the like, then one has to get rid of it by spending it in the general interest exactly like the money whose owner is not known.
In both cases, whether the money does not have a specific owner or that it has an owner but he is not known (or reachable), it is permissible for you to spend on yourself according to the necessity if you are poor, while repenting to Allaah and seeking His forgiveness.
The above is a summary of what the scholars stated on this issue [about the one who has forbidden money and wants to get rid of it].
For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa: 83894, and Fatwa: 86665 about how to get rid of tradable items that were bought with forbidden money.
Allaah Knows best.