How should a thief return items

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.

A: If the situation is as you mentioned, that this man performed Tawbah, stopped committing the sin, regretted what he had done and intended not to do it again, he should return the rights to their owners, even if this is done indirectly, in the way that he thinks is appropriate. This is so, provided that the owners do not think it is a gift, so that they do not reward him for it. If he does not know exactly how much he took, he should do his best to estimate it and add a little as a precaution to clear his conscience. As for those he does not know, he should give their rights or their approximate value as Sadaqah (voluntary charity), while adding a little more to clear his conscience as previously mentioned. May Allah guide him to repay his debts and accept his Tawbah. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.