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Fatwa CenterDemanding loan/gift repayment from in-laws
Question
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu. I got married two years ago and have been staying with my husband's family. My father-in-law had taken 43 lakhs from my parents for my husband's further education, but after the marriage, my father-in-law and stepmother-in-law started troubling me, and due to this my husband and I took the decision to go live separately, and we moved out without anything. After moving out, we asked for that money, but he is ignoring us. Now, two years later, it is still the same, and he says that he spent that money on my husband 's school and college and marriage and such, so he has taken my money. Should I forget the money, or should I fight to get my money back? I and my husband are living a very tough life; please advise.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
The question is somewhat unclear. We do not understand how exactly your father-in-law took this money from your parents. If he took this money as a loan, then they have the right to demand that he repays that money. If he was given this money as a gift for a certain purpose and this purpose was fulfilled, then the giver has no right to demand the money.
You said that your father-in-law has taken your money; we do not know whether you are referring to the same sum of money that he took from your parents or if it is a different sum of money. As we said before, a person who has a right over another is entitled to demand that right from him.
We advise all the parties to be keen on maintaining good relations out of respect for the marriage bond that connects the two families. We should follow the example of the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and treat our in-laws the way he treated his in-laws and the husbands of his daughters such as ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan, ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, and ‘Uthmaan ibn Abi Al-‘Aas 
all.
Allah knows best.
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