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How can one atone for unlawfully acquired money whose amount or owners are unknown, get rid of the feeling of guilt, and atone for sins such as fornication and the resulting abortion, knowing that the perpetrators have repented sincerely and are now married, and does the house they own involve any doubt of being unlawful?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

We ask Allah to accept your repentance and that of your wife. Whoever wishes to repent from theft must return the stolen goods to their owners. If they are unable to identify the owners, they should donate the equivalent in charity, while reserving the option for the owners, should they be found, to either accept an equivalent amount or the charitable donation.

As for the money you embezzled or the benefits you gained from your work, these must be returned to your employer, as it is their money. If you do not know the exact amount, then caution is obligatory. If your current income is insufficient to return these rights, you should limit your expenses to your basic needs until you have paid them off. If it is not enough for saving, then consider these debts that you intend to repay whenever you find a way.

Regarding adultery and abortion, these are grave sins, and sincere repentance, we hope, will be an expiation for them, for "the one who repents from sin is like one who has no sin." If the abortion occurred before the formation of the embryo, then there is no expiation other than sincere repentance. However, if it occurred after the formation (after forty days or more), then whoever carried out the abortion owes a "ghurrah" (a male or female slave). If a slave is not available, then ten percent of the mother's blood money. The ghurrah is inherited by the legitimate heirs of the fetus, and its mother is not among them if she was involved in the abortion. The remainder, after the mother (or grandmother if the mother does not inherit), should be spent for the benefit of the Muslims.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy