First of all, it should be clear that when Islam prohibits something, it blocks all avenues that lead to it. At the same time, it offers Halal (lawful) alternatives to compensate for what’s Haram (prohibited).
The prominent Muslim scholar, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, states in his well-known book, The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam: “In order to combat theft and to confine the crime to a very narrow sphere of activity, Islam has made it prohibited for a Muslim to buy any article which he knows to have been usurped, stolen, or taken unjustly from its owner; anyone who does so is considered as abetting and aiding the criminal. The Prophet, peace and blessings be on him, says: “He who buys a stolen property, with the knowledge that it was stolen, shares in the sin and shame of stealing.” (Reported by Al-Bayhaqi)
The lapse of time does not render a stolen or misappropriated property lawful, for in Islam the mere passage of time does not transform the Haram into Halal nor does it deprive the original owner of his right to it.”
Also, Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society of North America, states:
“Stealing is prohibited in Islam, so it is also Haram to buy or sell or receive as a gift anything that is stolen. If you know that something is stolen, then you should neither take nor buy it.
The Islamic rule is that stolen property should be returned to its owner and the thief should be punished. The proper announcement should be made about the recovered stolen property by the authorities. If no one comes to claim it, then after the passage of a reasonable time, the property can be auctioned or sold and the money could be given to public treasury or used for charitable purposes.”