A person with a bad past who abandoned prayer and fasting and stole from people he does not know, and wants to repent; what is obligatory for him?
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The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. The questioner says: A person had a bad past; he was a drug dealer and drank intoxicants, and he used to steal, not pray, and not fast. He remained in this state for ten years, and now he has repented to Allah from these actions.
The Shaykh:
Praise be to Allah.
The questioner:
He says: These stolen items were from people he does not know, and he does not know their value, nor the value of the amounts he stole, due to the large number of his thefts. So what is required of him regarding the prayers, the fasting, backbiting, talebearing, and the stolen matters?
The Shaykh:
First of all, repentance. Praise be to Allah; He has granted you repentance, so maintain it, and maintain the prayer and the acts of worship, and thank your Lord for guiding you to repentance. The second matter is the people's rights that you took from them. If you are able to return them to them, return them. If you are not able, give charity on their behalf. If you are not able to return them or give charity on their behalf, then ask Allah for repentance and assistance. Whenever you are able and they are still present, return them to them. If returning them becomes difficult for you, then you are excused, if Allah wills. The important thing is repentance; repentance is the foundation. Yes.
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. The questioner says: A person had a bad past; he was a drug dealer and drank intoxicants, and he used to steal, not pray, and not fast. He remained in this state for ten years, and now he has repented to Allah from these actions.
The Shaykh:
Praise be to Allah.
The questioner:
He says: These stolen items were from people he does not know, and he does not know their value, nor the value of the amounts he stole, due to the large number of his thefts. So what is required of him regarding the prayers, the fasting, backbiting, talebearing, and the stolen matters?
The Shaykh:
First of all, repentance. Praise be to Allah; He has granted you repentance, so maintain it, and maintain the prayer and the acts of worship, and thank your Lord for guiding you to repentance. The second matter is the people's rights that you took from them. If you are able to return them to them, return them. If you are not able, give charity on their behalf. If you are not able to return them or give charity on their behalf, then ask Allah for repentance and assistance. Whenever you are able and they are still present, return them to them. If returning them becomes difficult for you, then you are excused, if Allah wills. The important thing is repentance; repentance is the foundation. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [4078- 4717] شخص له ماض سيئ وترك الصلاة والصيام وسرق من أناس لا يعرفهم ويريد التوبة فما الواجب عليه؟ — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.