My brother owns an apartment. Two men rented one. For several months they did not pay the rent. Later, one of them was arrested. My brother went to the other man to ask him for the rent, but he said that he was not responsible. My brother later evicted him and seized television sets. What is the ruling on that?
Question
The Fuqaha as the issue of seizing property knows this issue. What this means is that if you are owed something by a wrongdoer and you cannot get your due from him, but you are able to seize something that belongs to him, is it permissible for you to take something equivalent to what is owed to you, or not. This is a matter concerning which there is a difference of opinion among the Scholars. Some of them regard that as permissible, some regard it as forbidden, and some regard it as permissible subject to certain conditions. Consult your local Ulama.