What is the ruling on buying items for the prayer room, and does this atone for stealing the institution's device? And how can employees atone for harming their colleague without confronting him, for fear of imprisonment?

The fundamental principle regarding repentance from sins and infringements of rights is that it is not valid unless the right is fulfilled, or the wrongdoer seeks forgiveness from the wronged party. This is based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: «Whoever has wronged his brother in terms of his honor or anything else, let him seek his forgiveness today, before there is no dinar or dirham.» If the right is something that can be recovered, such as money, it must be returned to its owner. If it is something that cannot be recovered, such as backbiting, then praying for the wronged person and seeking forgiveness for them is sufficient.

If the wrongdoer fears that informing the wronged person will increase their anger or ignite strife, then they should turn to Allah Almighty to appease the wronged person, and frequently seek forgiveness for them. Whatever is possible to do to satisfy the adversaries should be done. If it is not possible, one should turn to Allah Almighty with supplication and sincerity, so that He may satisfy the servant's adversaries from the treasury of His bounty.

Therefore, whoever stole a device must return it to the entity from which it was stolen if it still exists; otherwise, they must return its value. They are not required to inform them of the true situation. As for the moral harm inflicted upon the responsible worker, the wrongdoer must seek their forgiveness. If unable to do so, they should resort to praying and seeking forgiveness for them, and turn to Allah Almighty.