Is it permissible to avoid paying electricity bills because the state is charging them too much?
Question

                Is it permissible for a Muslim state in the modern age to charge its citizens too much in electricity bills and water bills in order to make them use less energy?

 Doesn’t lighting the public roadways and streets go against the hadeeth of the Prophet , “Extinguish your lamps”?

 There is a hadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which says, “The Muslim should not deprive his Muslim brother of three things: water, pasture and fire.”

 So is it not permissible for us to use tricks to avoid paying these excessive bills? If that is not permissible, then how can we change our way of life when a man’s family, relatives and neighbours do not help him in that regard?.
Praise be to Allah.
    Firstly: 

    Governments and officials should be kind towards their 
    citizens and not impose unbearable burdens on them. It is not permissible 
    for the state to monopolize basic essential goods and services which people 
    cannot do without, then sell them to them for inflated prices. 

    Governments should realize that they are not investment 
    companies, whose main concern is making a profit from their citizens. Rather 
    their main role is to serve their citizens, make things easier for them, and 
    be kind towards them. The Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be 
    upon him) prayed: “O Allaah, whoever is put in charge of any of the affairs 
    of my ummah and treats them harshly, treat him harshly, and whoever is put 
    in charge of any of the affairs of my ummah and treats them kindly, treat 
    him kindly.” Narrated by Muslim, 1828. 

    These officials should realize that tomorrow they will be 
    standing before Allaah and accounting for their deeds, being rewarded or 
    punished for them. Each ruler, official and minister will be asked about all 
    of those who were under their authority: “Each of you is a shepherd and each 
    of you is responsible for his flock…” 

    May Allaah be pleased with ‘Umar, for he used to say: “If a 
    mule stumbles in Iraq (which was on the edge of the Islamic state at that 
    time), Allaah will ask me on the Day of Resurrection, ‘Why did you not 
    maintain the road for it, O ‘Umar?’” 

    The questioning on the Day of Resurrection will be to such an 
    extent, even about animals – so how about the thousands and millions of 
    people who are subjected to oppression and wrongful treatment? 

    Nations become strong when justice prevails, and nations 
    decline because of injustice. 

    Hence it was said that Allaah supports just nations even if 
    they are kaafirs, and He does not support unjust nations even if they are 
    Muslims. The Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 
    “No sin brings a swifter punishment than injustice and severing the ties of 
    kinship.” The unjust person will be punished in this world even if he is 
    forgiven and granted mercy in the Hereafter. That is because justice is the 
    foundation of all things. If a thing is based on justice it will endure, 
    even if its founder has no share in the Hereafter. If it is not based on 
    justice then it will not endure, even if its founder has faith for which he 
    will be rewarded in the Hereafter. 

    Majmoo’ al-Fataawa by Shaykh 
    al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, 28/146 

    Secondly: 
The Muslim has to be 
    patient and seek reward with Allaah, and not respond to cheating and 
    injustice in kind. 

    It is not permissible to tinker with the electricity meter, 
    or to use tricks to avoid paying the bills, because that is cheating, 
    deceiving and consuming people’s wealth unlawfully. 

    The Standing Committee was asked: Is it permissible to stop 
    electricity or water meters in a kaafir state so as to weaken that state? 
    Please note that the state takes unjust taxes from me which I pay 
    unwillingly. 

    They replied: 

    That is not permissible, because it is consuming people’s 
    wealth unlawfully. End quote. 

    Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 
    23/441 
The Standing Committee 
    was also asked: is it permissible to use tricks to avoid paying bills for 
    electricity, water, television, gas and so on? Please note that most of 
    these things are provided by publicly owned companies. 

    They replied: 

    That is not permissible, because it is consuming people’s 
    wealth unlawfully and is a failure to fulfil trusts. Allaah says 
    (interpretation of the meaning):

    “Verily, Allaah commands that you should render back the 
    trusts to those, to whom they are due”

    [al-Nisa’ 4:29] 

    “O you who believe! Eat not up your property among 
    yourselves unjustly except it be a trade amongst you, by mutual consent. And 
    do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allaah is Most 
    Merciful to you”

    [al-Nisa’ 4:58] 

    end quote. 

    Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 
    23/441 

    Thirdly: 

    You quote as evidence the hadeeth, “Three things cannot be 
    denied anyone: water, pasture and fire” (narrated by Ibn Maajah, 2473) – and 
    according to another report: “The Muslims are partners in three things: 
    water, pasture and fire, and their price is haraam” (narrated by Ibn Maajah, 
    2472 – both hadeeths were classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn 
    Maajah). But quoting these reports as evidence is not correct. If these 
    things are collected and taken possession of, then it is permissible to sell 
    them, as water may be sold in bottles, for example. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen 
    (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: He said that it is not permissible to 
    sell spring water, because the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah 
    be upon him) said: “The Muslims are partners in three things: water, pasture 
    and fire,” and because this water was not extracted by any human effort, 
    rather it came out by the power of Allaah. A man may dig a deep well and 
    find that no water comes out, so this water is not the result of his efforts 
    or actions, rather he is only a cause. So he cannot take possession of it, 
    and if he cannot take possession of it then he cannot sell it. But if he 
    took possession of it, took the water away and put it in a tank, then it is 
    permissible for him to sell it, because it became his property by means of 
    removing it and putting it in his tank. End quote from al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 
    8/154 

    The same applies to using the command to extinguish lamps as 
    evidence. The apparent meaning is to limit the use of lamps that could be a 
    cause of the house burning down. The hadeeth referred to was narrated by Abu 
    Dawood (5247) from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: A 
    mouse came and started dragging the wick, which it brought and dropped in 
    front of the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon 
    him), on the mat on which he was sitting, and a spot the size of a dirham 
    was burned. He said: “When you go to sleep, extinguish your lamps, for the 
    Shaytaan shows this (the wick) to this one (the mouse) and it will burn 
    you.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood. 

    Muslim (2012) narrated from Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased 
    with him) that the Messenger of Allaah  
    (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Extinguish lamps… for the 
    evil one (the mouse) will burn people’s houses around them.” 

    The Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) 
    ordered that lamps be extinguished before sleeping if there is the fear that 
    leaving them may be the cause of a fire in the house. Hence the scholars 
    such as Ibn Daqeeq al-‘Eid, al-Nawawi and al-Haafiz ibn Hajar stated that if 
    a person makes sure, before going to sleep, that the lamp will not fall, 
    there is nothing wrong in that case with going to sleep and leaving the 
    lamps lit. 

    See Fath al-Baari, 11/89 
It may be said that 
    lighting the streets at night is a means of reducing crimes and evil; this 
    is something that is well known. 

    Fourthly: 

    Everyone should be economical in using electricity and water, 
    and to be content with just what he needs, without being extravagant, 
    because of the general meaning of the evidence that forbids extravagance and 
    waste, without paying any attention to what relatives and neighbours say. It 
    may be noted that many people keep the lights on in all the rooms of the 
    house when there is no need for that, or they use air-conditioners and 
    heaters in an extravagant manner. 

    We ask Allaah to help and guide us and you. 

    And Allaah knows best.