If a person stole car tires and batteries, and then the thief became known after a period of time, how should compensation be made: Should it be at the current price or at the price at the time of the theft, or should the thief buy the same goods and return them to the person from whom they were stolen?

All praise is due to Allah, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and companions. To proceed:

The thief must return the stolen item if it is still in existence. If it has been destroyed, he must return an equivalent item if it is quantifiable by measure or weight (mithlī), or its value if it is not (qīmī). This is by agreement of the jurists, regardless of whether the thief is rich or poor, and regardless of whether the prescribed punishment (حد) was carried out on him or not. The value is assessed on the day of the transgression. Therefore, whoever stole new batteries or tires must return their equivalent if he destroyed them or used them. If providing an equivalent is not possible, their value on the day of the transgression must be returned. The owner of the right may demand this from the thief according to the Maliki school of thought prevalent in those lands.