As I used to leave work at the time of Salah

Q 3: A man used to work for a car customs broker and he used to receive a low salary. In order to increase his income, he would prepare the papers of car purchases for car owners and tell them that it cost him a sum of money to finish the routine procedures or that he had to bribe the officials in charge by giving them one Egyptian pound while in fact he had only paid fifty piasters. He would also tell the car owner that he had paid more than five pounds to finish the job. He would also make a deal with another person who makes number plates by virtue of which he pays him five pounds for each piece while charging ten pounds from the car owner, thus, keeping the extra five pounds for himself without the owner knowing about it. The broker whom (Part No. 15; Page No. 136) the man works for knows all about this. I do not remember whether the man was sure about the unlawfulness of these practices. He does not know the addresses of the rightful owners of the money and believes that the total amount of ill-gotten money is most likely to reach one thousand five hundred pounds excluding the personal expenses he undertook. Does he have to deduct this amount from his wealth to be spent in charitable ways of disposition while having the intention to absolve himself of the sin of devouring people's rights and at the same time intending the reward for the rightful owners of the money? It is important to note that the man is no longer doing this kind of unlawful work. After Allah (Exalted be He) guided him not to continue doing his past work, the man became keen on earning his livelihood through lawful means. What is the proper course of action he should follow?

A: If the reality is as you have mentioned, this man must make Tawbah (repentance to Allah) from his past injustices; obtaining money by means of deception and unlawfully devouring people's property. He has to pay back the money he gained by unlawful means to the rightful owners or their inheritors, if the real owners died. If he fails to repay it, he has to offer it in charity on their behalf or spend it in charitable ways of disposition. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.