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﴿ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

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What one who repents from taking unlawful wealth should do

Machine translationRead the Arabic original
A woman lost a gold chain, and another woman found it. The woman who lost it searched for it but did not find it, and she did not ask the woman who found it, even though the woman who found it knew that the other woman was looking for it, yet she did not give her the chain. Now, after realizing the seriousness of what she did, she wants to correct her mistake. How should she act? Is it permissible for her to give the woman the value of that chain without telling her that it is the value of what she lost, or how should she act, considering that more than five years have passed since this incident?
Answer: She must repent to Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, because she has been unjust in denying a right. She must return the chain to its owner in a way that allows her to do so without the owner knowing it was her. There is no need for her to tell her. She can give it to some people and say, "I found this chain with a woman," or say, "It is yours, and it was found a long time ago, and this is the chain," without telling her it was her. Or she can send it with another person, a man other than the woman, and say, "Do not tell her about me regarding this chain. Say: This chain is yours; a woman or a man who found it sent it to you."
The point is: She is not required to tell her. She gives her the chain, and she is not required to tell her, whether through a man or a woman, or she places it in the house in front of her and then leaves, so that she knows she took it.
The intention is: She delivers it to her in a way that ensures it reaches her.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source binbaz.org.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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