him, in which case we will uphold his marriage.”

The same applies to praying in a usurped house, slaughtering an animal with a usurped implement, cooking food with usurped firewood, and heating water with usurped fuel. All this is prohibited only because it involves wronging another person. That wrong is remedied by giving the wronged person his due.

If he compensates him for what he has taken, whether the use of his property or the property itself—paying him the rent for the house and the price of the firewood—and repents to Allah Most High for doing what He forbade, he has discharged his obligations towards both Allah and the person concerned. His prayer then becomes like prayer in a place one is permitted to use; the food becomes like food cooked with fuel one is permitted to use; and the slaughter becomes like slaughter performed with a knife one is permitted to use.

If he does not do so, the knife’s owner is entitled to payment for its use in slaughtering. The entire sheep does not become unlawful because of this questionable element. In this case, if he has eaten the food without paying him its full price, he is like someone who takes food in which another person has a share: his action is not unlawful, nor is it wholly lawful. If the food has been cooked, the owner of the fuel has a share in it.

The same applies to prayer: the sin of wrongdoing remains upon him, detracting from his prayer in proportion to it. His obligation is not discharged as fully as that of someone who has performed a complete prayer. Nor is he punished as someone who has not prayed; rather, he is punished in proportion to his sin. Likewise, the person who eats the food is punished in proportion to his sin.

Allah Most High says:

“Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it,
and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.”