Q 3: I heard a Hadith saying that anyone who takes the money belonging to someone else, even if a little, will enter the Fire and will be prohibited from entering Jannah (Paradise). Please advice me. If someone performs righteous deeds, such as Salah (Prayer), Sawm (Fasting) and Sadaqah (voluntary charity), but they do some minor things that are Haram (prohibited), will they be prohibited from entering Jannah?

A: Consuming what is Haram is one of the reasons leading to the Fire. (Part No. 15; Page No. 365) Money that is Haram is that which is gained by acting unlawfully with other people’s money; taking it without a right; taking bribes; cheating in selling and buying; selling what has been declared to be Haram, such as alcohol, pork, tobacco, or other items; or that is taken through theft, looting, or other Haram ways. Many texts from the Qur’an and Hadith warn against these things, among them are the Words of Allah (Exalted be He): And eat up not one another’s property unjustly (in any illegal way e.g. stealing, robbing, deceiving, etc.), nor give bribery to the rulers (judges before presenting your cases) that you may knowingly eat up a part of the property of others sinfully. He (Glorified and Exalted be He) also says: Verily, those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, they eat up only fire into their bellies, and they will be burnt in the blazing Fire! The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “No flesh, which has sprouted from ill-gotten property, grows, except that Hellfire is more deserving of it.” (Related by Al-Tirmidhy, who said that this is a Hadith Hasan [a Hadith whose chain of narration contains a narrator with weak exactitude, but is free from eccentricity or blemish] and Gharib [a Hadith with a single narrator usually at the beginning of the chain of narration] and is only transmitted through this chain) Anyone who acquires anything that is Haram must perform Tawbah (repentance to Allah) for it and return the money they took by force, theft, or as a Riba (usury/interest) to its owner. If they do not know who the owner is or any of their heirs, they have to give it out as Sadaqah (voluntary charity) on the owner’s behalf. (Part No. 15; Page No. 366) May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.