Four years ago I was checking my pregnancy in a private lab that offers a discount for teachers and their wives to have examinations, tests and x-rays. I told them that my husband was a teacher so that I could get the discount, but in fact he was a student in the college. I got the discount and we were not well off. But now, praise be to Allaah, my husband has become a teacher and we are better off. My question is: Should I pay back what I owe, even though I do not know exactly how much it is, or what?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“O you who believe! Eat not up your property among
yourselves unjustly”
[al-Nisa’ 4:29]
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
delivered a khutbah during his Farewell Pilgrimage on the Day of Sacrifice,
and said: “Your blood, your wealth and your honour are sacred to one
another, as sacred as this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this
land of yours.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (67) and Muslim (1679).
So you have to repent from consuming this unlawful money.
Repentance means regretting it, giving up the sin, revolving not to go back
to it, and restoring people’s rights to them.
Then you have to repay the amount that was discounted to the
clinic; repentance cannot be achieved without doing that.
You do not have to tell the owner of the clinic or any of the
employees about that, rather it is sufficient to give the money to them by
any means. See the answer to question no.
31234.
As for not knowing how much it is, you can try to find out by
counting how many times you went to the clinic and the amount of the
discount, then add up the total discount that you received, until you think
it most likely that you have given them their rights.
We ask Allaah to help you to do that which He loves and which
pleases Him.
And Allaah knows best.
