How can I return the right to the owner of the sheep that I stole in my adolescence thirty years ago, given that I do not remember their owner, their location, their number, or their selling price? And should I return the price of the sheep at the value of that time or at the current price?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Whoever steals money must return it to its owner. If the money is destroyed, he must return its equivalent or something close to its equivalent; otherwise, he must return its value. If the stolen items were sheep, the thief must return sheep like them. If he cannot return the actual sheep, he must return their value. If the owner of the money is unknown, the value of the stolen item or its equivalent should be given as charity to the poor. In case of doubt regarding the number, the larger amount should be given as charity to absolve oneself.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/191704
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 191704
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy