Q: A man used to be a thief. He stole a lot of money from some people, but now he has performed Tawbah (repentance to Allah), stopped committing this sin and has the intention not to return to it. He wants to return the rights of the people he knows. However, he is afraid they might hurt him or report him to the officials if he tells them directly, which will destroy his reputation. He wants to return their rights in an indirect way; whether through a trustworthy person or in some way gradually as much as he can, because his monthly salary is little. How can he return the money he stole from people whom he knows but does not remember the amount that was stolen, as this was a long time ago? There are other people he does not know, and certainly he does not remember how much he took from them so that he can return it. What should he do? This man came to me and seemed very repentant. He now wants to purge himself as much as he can. It seems that he is honest in his Tawbah, and he wants to return the rights to their owners and regain his reputation (although none can verify this but Allah). (Part No. 15; Page No. 338) I think he is honest, and Allah knows best.