Dr. Monzer Kahf, a prominent economist and counselor states: A stolen item remains on the ownership of its true owner. This means that the seller has no right to sell and the buyer can’t, knowingly, buy because she/he is buying a thing not from its owner. It is prohibited to do either of these actions. Besides, the true owner has full and undisputed right to take her/his property from any hand it may be under without any compensation (in fact, even with a potentiality of charging of a criminal act) regardless of whether the person from whom the item is taken had paid for it or not and regardless of whether the latter knew it was stolen or not. If the holder of a stolen item innocently paid for it he/she may resort to a legal action against the recipient of his/her money, but certainly not against the true owner. By the way, the same is also in common laws in virtually all countries to the best of my knowledge.”