payment of the customary rent from the person who cultivated his land. He may also take the crop, if it is still standing, and reimburse the cultivator for his expenses. And Allah knows best.

He was asked:

A man stole a measure of grain and sowed it, but does not know its owner. Is the entire crop lawful for him?

He replied:

He must undoubtedly give the equivalent of the seed in charity. As for the additional yield, there is disagreement concerning it. The most equitable opinion is to treat this as a sharecropping arrangement: he takes his own share and gives the seed owner’s share in charity on his behalf. And Allah knows best.

He was asked:

A man unlawfully seized an item of property and sold it to someone who knew that it had been unlawfully seized. Its owner then came and recovered it from the purchaser. Is the purchaser entitled to recover the price he paid from the usurper who sold it to him, despite having known that it had been unlawfully seized? Or is the purchaser entitled to recover nothing from the usurper, so that the money he paid him is lost without compensation? What is the ruling in this matter?