The Ruling on Taking Lost Property in the Sacred Precinct and Disposing of It
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
One of the listening brothers sent a message beginning with his words: "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Honorable Shaykh, I love you for the sake of Allah." Then he began to recount his case to Shaykh Salih, saying: "I performed the rites of Hajj last year, but during my tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah), I found a wristwatch that was not valuable, worth about twenty-five and forty riyals. However, Satan whispered to me, so I did not place it in the designated area for lost items; instead, I took it and returned with it to my workplace. Afterwards, my conscience awoke, and I said I must get rid of it. If I donate its value as charity, I will have rid myself of the sin. May Allah reward you with good."
The Shaykh:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions. To proceed: It is not permissible to take lost property in the Sacred Precinct (Haram) except for one who intends to announce it and search for its owner in order to return it to him. If he is confident in his ability to do so, there is no harm in taking it. However, if he does not intend to announce it and search for its owner, he must not take it.
As for what you did, O questioner, in taking this watch from the Haram and going with it to your place of work, this is a matter that is not permissible. You have erred in this. You must return it and hand it over to the authority responsible for lost items in the Haram. You go to the administration tasked with looking after lost items, hand it over to them, and thereby your conscience is cleared, if Allah wills. Yes.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good. As for its value, is it not permissible to dispose of it? Is it not permissible to donate it as charity?
The Shaykh:
It is not permissible for him to do that. Rather, he must go to the authority responsible for lost items in the Haram and hand it over to them.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good. He is far away in a distant region, Shaykh Salih, and that may cost him a great deal. He says that he works in Tabuk?
The Shaykh:
If he travels for 'Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) or Hajj (the major pilgrimage), or if he sends it with a trustworthy person, or sends it via the post to the responsible authority?
The presenter:
May Allah bless you. May Allah reward you with good, and may Allah reward you.
One of the listening brothers sent a message beginning with his words: "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Honorable Shaykh, I love you for the sake of Allah." Then he began to recount his case to Shaykh Salih, saying: "I performed the rites of Hajj last year, but during my tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah), I found a wristwatch that was not valuable, worth about twenty-five and forty riyals. However, Satan whispered to me, so I did not place it in the designated area for lost items; instead, I took it and returned with it to my workplace. Afterwards, my conscience awoke, and I said I must get rid of it. If I donate its value as charity, I will have rid myself of the sin. May Allah reward you with good."
The Shaykh:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions. To proceed: It is not permissible to take lost property in the Sacred Precinct (Haram) except for one who intends to announce it and search for its owner in order to return it to him. If he is confident in his ability to do so, there is no harm in taking it. However, if he does not intend to announce it and search for its owner, he must not take it.
As for what you did, O questioner, in taking this watch from the Haram and going with it to your place of work, this is a matter that is not permissible. You have erred in this. You must return it and hand it over to the authority responsible for lost items in the Haram. You go to the administration tasked with looking after lost items, hand it over to them, and thereby your conscience is cleared, if Allah wills. Yes.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good. As for its value, is it not permissible to dispose of it? Is it not permissible to donate it as charity?
The Shaykh:
It is not permissible for him to do that. Rather, he must go to the authority responsible for lost items in the Haram and hand it over to them.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good. He is far away in a distant region, Shaykh Salih, and that may cost him a great deal. He says that he works in Tabuk?
The Shaykh:
If he travels for 'Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) or Hajj (the major pilgrimage), or if he sends it with a trustworthy person, or sends it via the post to the responsible authority?
The presenter:
May Allah bless you. May Allah reward you with good, and may Allah reward you.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 4124- حكم أخذ لقطة الحرم والتصرف بها - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.