was owed by someone else, although he is neither that person’s agent nor his guarantor and holds none of his property; or if a man were punished for an offense committed by his relative or neighbor, without himself having sinned by neglecting an obligation or committing a prohibited act. That is what is unlawful.

In the case under discussion, however, he is punished only for his own offense: he knows the whereabouts of the wrongdoer whose presence is required to secure the fulfillment of a rightful claim, or he knows the whereabouts of property to which others have rightful claims, yet refuses to provide the assistance and support incumbent upon him according to the Quran, the Sunnah, and scholarly consensus. He may do so out of favoritism or partisan zeal for that wrongdoer, as people bound by partisan loyalties sometimes do for one another, or out of hostility or hatred toward the oppressed.

Allah Most High has said:

“Do not let hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness.”

Or he may do so out of an unwillingness to stand up for Allah and uphold the justice Allah has enjoined, and out of cowardice, weakness, and failure to support His religion—like those who fail to support Allah, His Messenger, His religion, and His Book, and who, when told to go forth in Allah’s cause, cling heavily to the earth. Whatever the motive, a person of this kind deserves punishment by agreement of the scholars. Whoever does not adopt these measures leaves the prescribed punishments unenforced and rights unprotected, allowing the strong to prey upon the weak.

He is like someone who holds property belonging to an unjust debtor who delays repayment—whether tangible property or a debt owed to him—and has