Paying money owed to electricity company to poor instead

4-5-2016 | IslamWeb

Question:

Regarding fatwa No. 312100. Thank you for your reply, but please understand that I cannot go back to the electricity department and tell them that I want to pay the outstanding money; they will not accept because they will be unable to produce an invoice since it is a government company, so there are too many problems. Can I just pay this money in installments to any poor people over a period of time. I truly and wholeheartedly want to pay this money. Please guide me.

---

Answer:

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 have previously underlined in fatwa 312100 that you are obliged to clear yourself of your liability from the money that you owe to the electricity department for the electricity that you used without paying for it. If you cannot determine the exact amount of money that you owe them, then you should try to estimate that amount and repay it to the department until you believe that you have most likely cleared yourself of your liability. You may also repay this money in an indirect way; the important thing is to repay the money that you owe, and you are not obliged to inform the concerned authority of the matter, especially if it would incur harm on you.

If you cannot repay the money to the electricity department directly or indirectly, then you may clear yourself of your liability by paying it in public interests such as hospitals and schools or the like or by giving it to the poor and needy. If you do not have the whole amount right now, you can pay it in installments over a period of time according to your ability.

Allaah knows best.