What is the ruling on lost property found in the Haram if a child finds it?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : If a child finds a sum of money in the Haram, is it obligatory for his guardian to do something, or is it obligatory for him when he grows up?
The Shaykh : Lost property in the Haram means an item lost in the Haram. By "Haram" here, we mean all of Makkah up to the boundaries of the Haram. If a person finds lost property there, it is not permissible for him to take it unless he intends to announce it for a lifetime. What does "announce it" mean?
The questioner : With peace.
The Shaykh : It means he identifies it and asks about its owner, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)Sahih Muslim 1355a This indicates the exaltation of wealth and the sanctity of its rights in this place of safety. We lie.
What is the wisdom in the fact that its drop or its finding is not permissible until it is announced? The wisdom is: if I leave it, and the second person leaves it, and the third, fourth, and fifth person who finds it after that leave it?
[It remains] with its owner until it is safe from the hands of people. But now, if you leave the lost property for someone who does not know it to take, is that not so? It is taken by one who does not fear Allah and does not respect the sanctity of the House of Allah. He takes it and possesses it. In such a case, take this lost property and give it to those responsible for lost items. They are a group now, I think, appointed by the state and present in the Haram. Take this bird and give it to them. The dirhams found by the boy mentioned by the questioner are to be taken and given to those who preserve the lost money in the Sacred Mosque.
The Shaykh : Lost property in the Haram means an item lost in the Haram. By "Haram" here, we mean all of Makkah up to the boundaries of the Haram. If a person finds lost property there, it is not permissible for him to take it unless he intends to announce it for a lifetime. What does "announce it" mean?
The questioner : With peace.
The Shaykh : It means he identifies it and asks about its owner, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
it is not lawful for anyone to pick up a thing dropped but one who makes public announcement of it
لا تحل ساقطتها إلا لمنشدWhat is the wisdom in the fact that its drop or its finding is not permissible until it is announced? The wisdom is: if I leave it, and the second person leaves it, and the third, fourth, and fifth person who finds it after that leave it?
[It remains] with its owner until it is safe from the hands of people. But now, if you leave the lost property for someone who does not know it to take, is that not so? It is taken by one who does not fear Allah and does not respect the sanctity of the House of Allah. He takes it and possesses it. In such a case, take this lost property and give it to those responsible for lost items. They are a group now, I think, appointed by the state and present in the Haram. Take this bird and give it to them. The dirhams found by the boy mentioned by the questioner are to be taken and given to those who preserve the lost money in the Sacred Mosque.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، لقاء[32 من 61] ما حكم لقطة الحرم إذا وجدها طفل؟!! الشيخ ابن عثيمين - مشروع كبار العلماء — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.
