How is it to make a personal use of the petrol granted for company use?

Darulifta Ahlesunnat

(Dawateislami)

Question

What do respected scholars of Islam and Muftis of Shari’ah say about the following issue: Some employees of a private company work in marketing for it. These employees are given petrol to be used in the vehicle according to the distance they have to travel on a daily basis. They are held bound to give back any leftover petrol to the company so that it may be used the next day. None is allowed to make a personal use of it. The question is, if there is leftover petrol, so can employees use it personally or not? Please let’s know the Shar’i ruling on it.

بِسْمِ اللہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

In the situation mentioned in the question, employees are not allowed at all to use the leftover petrol. If they do, they will be sinners. This is because the leftover petrol in the custody of the employees is considered trust as per Shari’ah and embezzlement in the entrusted thing is not permissible. Embezzlement is like taking the wealth of the Muslims by deceptive and invalid means, which is explicitly declared Haraam in Quran and Hadees.

وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَرَسُوْلُہ اَعْلَم صَلَّی اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم

Answered by:Mufti Muhammad Qasim Attari