He stole during the days of ignorance, then he repented
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Fatwa number ( 20777 )
Q: In a distant past, at the beginning of my life, there was among us a time of ignorance and hunger, so we used to steal some wealth from livestock. I am now repentant and I want to settle what is in my debt to people, and I ask about the following: 1 - I stole cardamom worth one hundred and twenty riyals forty years ago, and I want
to settle it now. Do I pay its current value, or the value for which I sold it at that time ? 2 - I stole some sheep, and they produced offspring with me, meaning they increased in number. Do I have to return the heads of the sheep, or is it obligatory for me to return the increase with them? 3 - If I had partners, do I settle what is on me, or what? May Allah preserve you .
A: The cardamom you stole, you must return its value as estimated on the day it was stolen to its owner if he is alive, or to his heirs if the owner is dead. If you are unable to do that, then you give it in charity to the poor with the intention of it being on behalf of the owner. If the owner comes, or you find out about him later, or you find out about his heirs in any place, you give him the value, and you will have the reward of the charity, if Allah wills. As for the sheep you stole, you must return them with their increase to the owner if he is alive, or to his heirs if they are alive. If they are not alive or you are unable to find them, then you estimate the value of those sheep at the time of the theft, as well as the value of their increase, and you give the total in charity with the intention of it being on behalf of the owner. If the one entitled to it comes, or you find out about him, or you find out about his heirs in any place, you give him the sheep with their increase, or their value, as you previously disposed of it, and you will have the reward of the charity, if Allah wills. If you were a partner with others in the theft, then you clear your conscience by getting rid of what was stolen by returning it to its owner, or by giving its value in charity with the intention of it being on behalf of the owner if you do not find
his owner or his heirs, as mentioned before. It is obligatory upon you to make sincere repentance and not to return to such a bad action. It is obligatory upon you to advise the partners who participated with you in the theft to clear their consciences of what they stole, while warning them of the punishment of Allah, and that taking people's wealth is injustice to them that is not lifted except by returning the rights to their owners, or by the owners of the rights forgiving and relinquishing them. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
Q: In a distant past, at the beginning of my life, there was among us a time of ignorance and hunger, so we used to steal some wealth from livestock. I am now repentant and I want to settle what is in my debt to people, and I ask about the following: 1 - I stole cardamom worth one hundred and twenty riyals forty years ago, and I want
to settle it now. Do I pay its current value, or the value for which I sold it at that time ? 2 - I stole some sheep, and they produced offspring with me, meaning they increased in number. Do I have to return the heads of the sheep, or is it obligatory for me to return the increase with them? 3 - If I had partners, do I settle what is on me, or what? May Allah preserve you .
A: The cardamom you stole, you must return its value as estimated on the day it was stolen to its owner if he is alive, or to his heirs if the owner is dead. If you are unable to do that, then you give it in charity to the poor with the intention of it being on behalf of the owner. If the owner comes, or you find out about him later, or you find out about his heirs in any place, you give him the value, and you will have the reward of the charity, if Allah wills. As for the sheep you stole, you must return them with their increase to the owner if he is alive, or to his heirs if they are alive. If they are not alive or you are unable to find them, then you estimate the value of those sheep at the time of the theft, as well as the value of their increase, and you give the total in charity with the intention of it being on behalf of the owner. If the one entitled to it comes, or you find out about him, or you find out about his heirs in any place, you give him the sheep with their increase, or their value, as you previously disposed of it, and you will have the reward of the charity, if Allah wills. If you were a partner with others in the theft, then you clear your conscience by getting rid of what was stolen by returning it to its owner, or by giving its value in charity with the intention of it being on behalf of the owner if you do not find
his owner or his heirs, as mentioned before. It is obligatory upon you to make sincere repentance and not to return to such a bad action. It is obligatory upon you to advise the partners who participated with you in the theft to clear their consciences of what they stole, while warning them of the punishment of Allah, and that taking people's wealth is injustice to them that is not lifted except by returning the rights to their owners, or by the owners of the rights forgiving and relinquishing them. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.