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Is it possible to be absolved from past thefts after repentance by seeking forgiveness from the rightful owners without informing them of the details of the theft, knowing that large sums of money cannot be returned and fearing exposure?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Whoever stole before puberty is not sinful, but he must return what he stole to its rightful owners, for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The hand is responsible for what it took until it returns it." It can be delivered to them without informing them. As for what its value is unknown, the thief should strive until he is certain of clearing his conscience. If he despairs of reaching its owners, he should give it as charity on their behalf. He should pay what he can now and pay the rest when he is able.

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

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