How Do I Repay Money Which I Stole?
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
What could I do to remove the debt I have with my brother and mother? I don’t have a number on how much I have taken.
Do you have any acts I could do that will have huge rewards and forgiveness or any acts that will remove the sins I have done in the past?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I am happy to hear that you have abandoned your sins and have turned your heart to Allah. I pray that Allah accepts your repentance and continues to bless you.
The sins of your past are something that you should repent from. After that do not look back to the past rather focus on rectifying your current state and obeying Allah in every aspect of your life.
Remorse and Other Conditions of Repentance
Your remorse for your previous sins is the fundamental condition for a sound repentance. The conditions of a sound repentance are as follows:
(1) SIncere remorse for the sin
(2) Desisting from the sin
(3) Resolving never to return to the sin
If the sin entails taking the rights of another an additional condition must be met.
(4) One must return what is due to the one wronged or be forgiven by them.
[Nawawi, Riyadh al-Salihin]
Rectifying the Sin of Stealing
Regarding the money you stole you must return it. However, you do not need to confess that you stole it, especially if doing so would cause more harm than it solves.
For this reason, you can return the money to your mother and/or brother in the form of a gift. It is not necessary to tell them that you are returning stolen money. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
Estimating the Amount
You will need to reflect and come up with a close approximation of the amount of money you’ve stolen. Afterwards, increase the total amount slightly just to be cautious. Then begin return the money to its respective owner.
Steadfastness with Moderation
It is great to hear that you have devoted yourself to worshipping Allah Most High by performing extra prayers and fasts. It is important to remember that your relationship with Allah Most High is more like a marathon than a 40-yard dash.
Thus you want to aim for consistency and quality within your acts of worship. Regarding quantity, you should adopt only those acts of worship which you are able to perform with presence of heart and focus and be consistent therein.
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) taught us three guiding principles to keep in mind in our striving to please Allah Most High.
(1) He (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “The most beloved acts to Allah are those that are consistent even if few.” [Ahmad]
(2) Also, “Take on of actions that which you can handle. For it is not Allah who tires rather it is you who tires.” [Bukhari]
(3) Also, “Verily the Religion is easy and none tries to make it difficult except that it overwhelms them.” [Bukhari]
Good Company
It is good that you have separated yourself from bad companions. This is the first step in turning to Allah. However, you should strive to find good companionship.
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Being alone is better than bad companionship and righteous companionship is better than being alone…” [Bayhaqi, Sh’ib al-Iman]
Seek out a local Masjid/community. Good friends are found in good places.
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.
