Is the money returned by the seller lawful for the thief if he purchased with stolen money, then later purchased with lawful money and the remainder was returned to him?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The sin of theft is tied to the thief's accountability, not to the stolen money itself. So, if the thief returns the equivalent of the stolen money—even if the stolen item itself is still with him—his accountability is cleared. The money of the shop owner does not become unlawful () just because the stolen money was mixed with it. Therefore, the remaining money does not become unlawful for the thief or for anyone else if they acquire it through a lawful means. Repentance from theft necessitates returning the rights to their owners.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/113476
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 113476
- 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