Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (29/274)

He was asked:

Concerning a provisions merchant from whom village headmen take supplies to offer hospitality to those stranded without means and others: they collect money from the poor and widows and give it to him. Is this lawful or unlawful?

He replied:

If they buy goods from such merchants and pay them with money that the merchants know has been seized—taken unjustly from its owners—the merchants may not benefit from it. However, if they use this money to purchase on the headmen’s behalf what the headmen demand of them, they incur no blame if they are compelled to do so.

Thus, someone who seeks to avoid both committing injustice and suffering it should, when compelled to undertake this work, use the oppressors’ money to purchase on their behalf what they demand of him, so that he neither wrongs anyone else nor is himself wronged.

Nevertheless, if the money they have collected from people cannot be returned to its owner, and they give it to the provisions merchant as compensation for what they took from him against his will, he has a stronger claim to it than someone who receives it without giving anything in exchange. The true wrongdoer is the one who took the money without right, not someone who receives compensation for his property from funds for which he knows of no specific rightful claimant. And Allah Most High knows best.

وَسُئِلَ: عَنْ رَجُلٍ فامي يَأْخُذُ مِنْهُ رُؤَسَاءُ الْقُرَى شَيْئًا يُضِيفُونَ بِهِ الْمُنْقَطِعِينَ وَغَيْرَهُمْ وَيَجْبُونَ مِنْ الْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْأَرَامِلِ فَيُعْطُوهُ هَلْ يَكُونُ حَلَالًا؟ أَمْ حَرَامًا؟ . فَأَجَابَ: إذَا اشْتَرَوْا مِنْهُمْ شَيْئًا وَأَعْطَوْهُمْ ثَمَنَهُ مِنْ مَالٍ يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ مَغْصُوبٌ - أُخِذَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ ظُلْمًا - لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمْ أَنْ يَنْتَفِعُوا بِهِ؛ لَكِنَّ هَذَا الْمَالَ إذَا اشْتَرَى لَهُمْ بِهِ مَا يَطْلُبُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْهِمْ شَيْءٌ إذَا كَانُوا الْمُكْرَهِينَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ، فَيَنْبَغِي لِمَنْ يَتَّقِي أَنْ يَظْلِمَ وَأَنْ يُظْلَمَ: أَنْ يَشْتَرِيَ لِلظَّلَمَةِ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ مَا يَطْلُبُونَهُ مِنْهُ لَا لِيَظْلِمَ غَيْرَهُ وَلَا يَكُونَ هُوَ مَظْلُومًا وَهُوَ مُكْرَهٌ عَلَى هَذَا الْعَمَلِ. وَمَعَ هَذَا فَالْمَالُ الَّذِي جَمَعُوهُ مِنْ النَّاسِ وَقَدْ تَعَذَّرَ رَدُّهُ عَلَى صَاحِبِهِ إذَا أَعْطَوْهُ الفامي عِوَضًا عَمَّا أَخَذُوهُ مِنْهُ بِغَيْرِ اخْتِيَارِهِ فَهُوَ أَحَقُّ بِهِ مِمَّنْ يُعْطَاهُ بِغَيْرِ مُعَاوَضَةٍ وَالظَّالِمُ فِي الْحَقِيقَةِ هُوَ الَّذِي أَخَذَ الْأَمْوَالَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ لَا مَنْ أَخَذَ عِوَضَ مَالِهِ مِنْ مَالٍ لَا يَعْلَمُ لَهُ مُسْتَحِقًّا مُعَيَّنًا وَاَللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَعْلَمُ.