Do Not Consume One Another's Wealth Wrongfully — Forbidden Ways of Earning
fiqh
Level: intermediate
muamalat
fqh-042
وَلَا تَأۡكُلُوٓاْ أَمۡوَٰلَكُم بَيۡنَكُم بِٱلۡبَٰطِلِ
— البقرة 188
Verse: "Do not consume each other's wealth wrongfully, nor send it to judges as bribes." (2:188)
"Wrongfully" (bil-batil): Any earning without real corresponding value — fraud, deception, bribery, gambling, usury, seizure.
"Send to judges": Even winning a court case doesn't make the wrongful lawful — the judge rules on appearances but Allah knows the truth.
Types of wrongful wealth consumption: Usury, sales fraud, theft, seizure, bribery, gambling, claiming through false oaths.
Source: Al-Qurtubi (2/335); Ibn Al-Arabi (1/67); Ibn Qudama (4/280)
Question: Does a judge's ruling make wrongfully acquired wealth lawful?
Answer: No — a judge's ruling on appearances doesn't make the wrongful lawful. No one should be deceived by a court ruling when the truth of the matter is otherwise.