What is the ruling on one who stole money from people and then repented to Allah, but the owner of the right has died? Does his conscience become clear by giving the money to the heirs of the owner, and how should he divide it among them?
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The questioner : A questioner says: I praise Allah to you, O honorable Shaykh, for the fact that Allah has granted me guidance, and I am repentant to Allah. One of the conditions of repentance is returning injustices to their owners, and I am determined to return these injustices to their owners, if Allah wills. But there is a problem: I estimated an amount of money for these injustices, but some of the owners of these injustices have died. Should I give it to the heirs, and how do I divide it among them? This, O honorable Shaykh, is something I am unable to do due to many matters, out of fear of embarrassment and the talk that happens afterwards. So, O my father, is it permissible for me to spend it in the path of good, and thereby have my conscience cleared?
The Shaykh : Yes, I say: I congratulate you on the repentance and turning to Allah that Allah has bestowed upon you, and I ask Allah to keep me, you, and the listeners firm upon the truth.
As for the money, it is obligatory to deliver it to its owners as long as they are known, or they have known heirs, so it is obligatory to deliver it to them.
As for if you have forgotten them, or you do not know them at all, or you have despaired of finding them, then give it in charity on their behalf. But if they are known, or if they have died and their heirs are known, it may be difficult for a person to go to them and say: "This is money I took from you without right, so accept my repentance and take it." This may be difficult, and Satan may cast into their hearts that you took more than you gave. So in such a case, look for a man you trust, who is sane and religious, and say to him: "My brother, the case is such and such, and so much belongs to so-and-so, or to his heirs if he has died." He will, if Allah wills, be a helper to you in clearing your conscience. He will contact the one who has the right and say: "This man, Ibn Halal, has repented to Allah, and he had wronged you with such and such amount of money, and this is the money to clear his conscience." Because the scholars say: "Money whose owner is known must be delivered to its owner". For example, if you find ten riyals in the market, whose are they? They are yours, because they do not attract the attention of the average people, and they do not care about ten riyals at the present time. But if you know that these ten riyals fell from so-and-so, it is obligatory for you to deliver them to him. Indeed, if you find a single riyal that fell from a person you know, it is obligatory for you to deliver it to him. And if it is not worth, for example, you know that it fell from a man who traveled to Riyadh, and it is a riyal you know fell from his pocket in front of you, but he got in the car before you alerted him and traveled to Riyadh. What do you do? You travel to Riyadh, and the ticket is how much? How much is the ticket to Riyadh? I think it is over a hundred riyals round trip. How much? One hundred and twenty riyals round trip, and in Riyadh taxis are fifty riyals from the airport to his place if you find him. So in such a case, there is difficulty. Now, is it possible to call him?
The student: A minute is one riyal, or two riyals.
The Shaykh : No, no, a minute is not one and a half riyals; a minute is one riyal, and a half-minute is one and a half riyals. This was before. It appears that such a case, if Allah wills, is among the matters that custom has allowed leniency in. Give it in charity on his behalf, and we hope that Allah will clear your conscience. But if you meet him one day in the future and he learns of it, say to him: "By Allah, the case is such and such, and I found that if I took the plane and came to you, it would cost two hundred riyals or more. And if I spoke on the phone, yes, it is possible, but I might not find you the first time. Then the children will say, 'This is a problem now.' You have tried this, and it is a problem with people now. You get tired, then you hang up the phone, and the child is the one who answers. Then you ask, 'Where is your father?' 'Daddy is not there.' 'Where is your mother?' 'Mummy is not there.' And you get tired. And some, when you say to the small children, 'Peace be upon you,' they say, 'Peace be upon you. Where is Daddy? Where is Daddy?' And they tire you out. For this reason, a person must pay attention to this matter and not leave the telephone within the reach of the children, because it tires the visitor, his time is wasted, and he does not achieve his goal. If Allah wills, sometimes we call people and the children answer us, and we cannot get rid of them. Finally, we despair and leave the call, and this is not good. A person must consider others; perhaps he is in another country and lost, for example, one or two riyals. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, I say: I congratulate you on the repentance and turning to Allah that Allah has bestowed upon you, and I ask Allah to keep me, you, and the listeners firm upon the truth.
As for the money, it is obligatory to deliver it to its owners as long as they are known, or they have known heirs, so it is obligatory to deliver it to them.
As for if you have forgotten them, or you do not know them at all, or you have despaired of finding them, then give it in charity on their behalf. But if they are known, or if they have died and their heirs are known, it may be difficult for a person to go to them and say: "This is money I took from you without right, so accept my repentance and take it." This may be difficult, and Satan may cast into their hearts that you took more than you gave. So in such a case, look for a man you trust, who is sane and religious, and say to him: "My brother, the case is such and such, and so much belongs to so-and-so, or to his heirs if he has died." He will, if Allah wills, be a helper to you in clearing your conscience. He will contact the one who has the right and say: "This man, Ibn Halal, has repented to Allah, and he had wronged you with such and such amount of money, and this is the money to clear his conscience." Because the scholars say: "Money whose owner is known must be delivered to its owner". For example, if you find ten riyals in the market, whose are they? They are yours, because they do not attract the attention of the average people, and they do not care about ten riyals at the present time. But if you know that these ten riyals fell from so-and-so, it is obligatory for you to deliver them to him. Indeed, if you find a single riyal that fell from a person you know, it is obligatory for you to deliver it to him. And if it is not worth, for example, you know that it fell from a man who traveled to Riyadh, and it is a riyal you know fell from his pocket in front of you, but he got in the car before you alerted him and traveled to Riyadh. What do you do? You travel to Riyadh, and the ticket is how much? How much is the ticket to Riyadh? I think it is over a hundred riyals round trip. How much? One hundred and twenty riyals round trip, and in Riyadh taxis are fifty riyals from the airport to his place if you find him. So in such a case, there is difficulty. Now, is it possible to call him?
The student: A minute is one riyal, or two riyals.
The Shaykh : No, no, a minute is not one and a half riyals; a minute is one riyal, and a half-minute is one and a half riyals. This was before. It appears that such a case, if Allah wills, is among the matters that custom has allowed leniency in. Give it in charity on his behalf, and we hope that Allah will clear your conscience. But if you meet him one day in the future and he learns of it, say to him: "By Allah, the case is such and such, and I found that if I took the plane and came to you, it would cost two hundred riyals or more. And if I spoke on the phone, yes, it is possible, but I might not find you the first time. Then the children will say, 'This is a problem now.' You have tried this, and it is a problem with people now. You get tired, then you hang up the phone, and the child is the one who answers. Then you ask, 'Where is your father?' 'Daddy is not there.' 'Where is your mother?' 'Mummy is not there.' And you get tired. And some, when you say to the small children, 'Peace be upon you,' they say, 'Peace be upon you. Where is Daddy? Where is Daddy?' And they tire you out. For this reason, a person must pay attention to this matter and not leave the telephone within the reach of the children, because it tires the visitor, his time is wasted, and he does not achieve his goal. If Allah wills, sometimes we call people and the children answer us, and we cannot get rid of them. Finally, we despair and leave the call, and this is not good. A person must consider others; perhaps he is in another country and lost, for example, one or two riyals. Yes.