A glimpse of the Haram is not permissible except for the one who announces it
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Fatwa number ( 17654 )
Q: My father accompanied my grandfather (may Allah have mercy on him) to perform Hajj, and they traveled to Makkah al-Mukarramah, and there, when my father was staying in a tent with some companions, he went out to drink and found a lady’s bag. He took it and brought it into the camp and searched it, and found in it (500) Saudi Riyals and some papers
and a passport for an Egyptian lady. He wanted to return it to the neighboring camp, whose residents were Egyptians, but some bad companions suggested to him to take the money, so he took it. When they returned to Yemen, he placed the bag in a private bus for Egyptians. It is known that this incident was about twenty years ago, and now my father wants to return this money, but he does not know the address. He wanted to give it in charity to a neighboring mosque to provide water for it, but now one hundred Saudi Riyals = 4200 Yemeni Riyals, and my father is well-off in his livelihood. So, does this charity suffice by spending the five hundred at the time the money was taken? It is known that at that time 100 Saudi Riyals = 130 Yemeni Riyals. Where should he give it in charity? Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good?
A: Your father erred in taking the aforementioned bag and what was in it; because a glimpse of the Haram is not permissible except for the one who announces it, and he is the one who calls out about it until he finds its owner. And now, since what has happened has happened and a long time has passed after which it is not expected that the owner of the glimpse will be found, it is obligatory for your father to give in charity the amount he took from the bag to the needy among the poor of the Haram, with the intention that the reward belongs to its owner, along with repentance to Allah the Exalted from that. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his companions.
Q: My father accompanied my grandfather (may Allah have mercy on him) to perform Hajj, and they traveled to Makkah al-Mukarramah, and there, when my father was staying in a tent with some companions, he went out to drink and found a lady’s bag. He took it and brought it into the camp and searched it, and found in it (500) Saudi Riyals and some papers
and a passport for an Egyptian lady. He wanted to return it to the neighboring camp, whose residents were Egyptians, but some bad companions suggested to him to take the money, so he took it. When they returned to Yemen, he placed the bag in a private bus for Egyptians. It is known that this incident was about twenty years ago, and now my father wants to return this money, but he does not know the address. He wanted to give it in charity to a neighboring mosque to provide water for it, but now one hundred Saudi Riyals = 4200 Yemeni Riyals, and my father is well-off in his livelihood. So, does this charity suffice by spending the five hundred at the time the money was taken? It is known that at that time 100 Saudi Riyals = 130 Yemeni Riyals. Where should he give it in charity? Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good?
A: Your father erred in taking the aforementioned bag and what was in it; because a glimpse of the Haram is not permissible except for the one who announces it, and he is the one who calls out about it until he finds its owner. And now, since what has happened has happened and a long time has passed after which it is not expected that the owner of the glimpse will be found, it is obligatory for your father to give in charity the amount he took from the bag to the needy among the poor of the Haram, with the intention that the reward belongs to its owner, along with repentance to Allah the Exalted from that. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.