What is the ruling on one who witnesses a theft but does not report it?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The Shariah encourages concealment, and whoever conceals a Muslim will be concealed by Allah on the Day of Judgment. Therefore, if the stolen item can be recovered without exposing the thief, that is preferable. Otherwise, the owner of the property or their representative must be informed. If not, the informer incurs sin for their negligence in recovering the property, and they are liable for the stolen item in the view of those who consider the omission an act.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/57721
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 57721
- 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