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What should a person do with money acquired through illicit means, who has repented, and whose victims have forgiven him? Should he donate it to any charity, and is it permissible to give it to his adopted siblings?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Unlawful wealth is of two types: The first is that which belongs to known individuals, such as stolen or usurped money. This must be returned to its rightful owners, and repentance is not complete except by doing so or by their forgiveness. The second type is wealth obtained from drug trafficking, usurious gains, or other illicit earnings. If the owner repents, he is entitled to his lawful principal, as Allah Almighty says: "And if you repent, you may have your principal sums." As for other unlawful funds, such as illicit dowries or prices, they should all be spent on general Muslim welfare and for the needy, with the intention of disposing of them, not as charity.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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