Returning stolen money when owner not reachable
Question I stole from certain people. Now I have repented, but I do not know where they live. Perhaps another may say,” I embezzled some money from a firm which has closed up its business.” Or yet another person may say,” I pilfered some material from an establishment which has shifted its premises.” What shall…
Question
they live. Perhaps another may say,” I embezzled some money from a firm
which has closed up its business.” Or yet another person may say,” I
pilfered some material from an establishment which has shifted its
premises.” What shall I do now?
Praise be to Allah.
This is similar to the story that Ibn ul-Qayyim has written in his Madarij Al-Salikin
(1/388). He states that a soldier of a Muslim regiment ghalla [i.e., stole from
al-ghaneema (the war spoils)]. Then, after some time, he repented and took with him
what he had stolen and reported to the commander of the regiment. But the commander
refused to accept it back saying, ‘And how do I return this to the soldiers [seeing that
they have dispersed].’ The man then went to a scholar – Hajjaj bin al-Sha’ir [seeking
his advice]. He [Hajjaj] told him: ‘Listen! Allah knows the army involved and each
soldier’s name and lineage. Send one fifth of the amount to the one whose right is
one-fifth (this is in reference to bait ul-maal, or the central depository in the Islamic
government which contains money to be spent in charity, and which receives one-fifth
of all spoils of war), and spend the rest in charity in their name and Allah will give
convey it to them.’ The man did so. And when the news reached Mu’awiyya bin Sufyan
[who was then the khalifa], he said: ‘That I had been the man who gave that ruling, is
dearer to me than half of what I rule over.’ Imam Ibn Taymiyya has also given a similar
ruling. (See Madarij)
