Q: I live in India. Previously I used to not take the railway ticket rules seriously. I used to enter railway platforms without a ticket (which is wrong and would be fined if caught). I have sometimes travelled in trains with improper ticket. Mostly unintentionally as the rules are very complex and so we end up breaking them without intending to. This would also have been fined for if I were caught.
Once I was caught by the inspector did not fine the amount stipulated by the government. Now I feel regret for all this. Is this a sin that we need to do tawba from? If yes, then would it be sufficient to do tawba in the heart or should I give also some monetary compensation for my violations ? (There is no proper government facility to collect fines for violations that go unnoticed).
If I should give compensation, should I just pay the government the original amount that I should have paid? Or should I also give the fine that I would have had to give if I were caught? I am very confused as to what I should. Please guide me on this issue.
A: When you had travelled without a ticket then obviously this is incorrect. A simple way to rectify the situation will be to buy tickets equivalent to the number of times you had travelled without paying. Thereafter you may destroy the tickets and make taubah.
And Allah Ta’ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
Answered by:
Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)