Embezzlement in factories owned by unbelievers

Question

Question: Nowadays in India factories and mills are in the hands of polytheists (mushriks) and unbelievers (kafirs), and Muslims are engaged in supplying goods to these factories, and their financial condition, worsening steadily, is sinking into decline. However, if they resort to embezzlement in supplying goods, there is indeed profit. So, in such a case, in a country of dar al-harb (abode of war) such as India, may they embezzle from the unbelievers and polytheist swindlers or not?

Answer

(1) Embezzlement (i.e. taking someone’s property in a wrongful way) is not permissible according to the Shari‘a. Theft is impermissible everywhere, for if, declaring (the country) dar al-harb, one gets into the habit of stealing from non-Muslims, then there is a danger that one will not be able to guard against stealing from a Muslim either.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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