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Will the buyer of a piece of knowledge, who later learns that its origin was stolen and then given as charity, be sinful? And will the one to whom it was given as charity be sinful for accepting it, despite knowing this?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is forbidden to purchase stolen goods if the buyer knows they are stolen, because it constitutes aiding in sin and aggression. The buyer must return the stolen item to its owner and demand the price from the thief. If the owner is unknown, the buyer should search for them. If despairing of finding them, the money should be given as charity. As for the one who receives the money in charity, if the owner is known, it is not permissible for them to accept it. If the owner is unknown, it is permissible for them to accept it and benefit from it. If the owner appears later, they should demand restitution from the thief, unless the buyer or the recipient of the charity knew it was stolen, in which case there is a difference of opinion as to whom the owner should then claim from.

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

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