How can a girl who was accustomed to stealing in her youth restore the rights to their owners when she does not possess the necessary money to do so, for her repentance to be accepted?
The mercy of Allah is expansive, and repentance is accepted even for major sins like murder. The conditions for repentance are three: abstaining from the sin, regretting it, and resolving not to return to it. The rights of Allah are waived through repentance, except for financial matters. As for the rights of people, there is a fourth condition, which is to restore injustices to their rightful owners. If it is impossible to return the money, one must strive to collect it through lawful means and return it, either by disclosing the matter or through methods that do not cause embarrassment. If it is impossible to return all of it, then one must seek forgiveness from its owners. If the owners are unknown, then one should give charity on their behalf with the intention of guaranteeing their rights.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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