Returning the stolen money to its owner

Question:
A listener says: I hope my question will be presented to Your Eminence, Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan (may Allah preserve him). I am a man in my forties, and when I was about sixteen years old, I stole a sum of money from a grocery store in the neighborhood that belonged to an Arab resident. Now I want to return that amount, but the store has closed, and I know nothing about the resident; he may have traveled to his country. I ask for guidance on how to be absolved of that money. Is repentance accepted, and is good work accepted, even if I do not find the owner of the money? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
Repentance is not accepted regarding the rights of others unless they permit it, meaning they permit you to dispose of their money. Otherwise, it remains a liability on you. If you find them, it is obligatory for you to pay it to them. If you do not find them and meeting them is difficult, then you give it in charity, with the intention that the reward belongs to the owner, and this absolves your liability, if Allah wills. Yes. Even if the owner is found after you have paid and given it in charity, you give him the choice if you find him. You say: I gave this money in charity. If you permit it, the reward is yours. If you do not permit it, I will pay it, and the reward will be mine. Yes.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you.