The ruling on taking something from the trash can without the owner's knowledge
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Is it permissible to take something without the owner's knowledge, knowing that the owner placed it in the trash can, meaning he does not need it? Is it permissible to take it?
Answer:
If the owner threw it away in the trash can, as the questioner mentioned, because he wanted to get rid of it and does not want it, then there is no harm in taking it, because it is abandoned property. However, if the owner is keeping it, having placed it in a place where it is preserved, then it is not permissible to take anything from it without his permission, because taking it without his knowledge is appropriating another person's property without his consent. Indeed, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan ad-Daraqutni 13:78 So taking it without his knowledge is a betrayal of trust, and it is not permissible. Yes. May Allah reward you with good.
Is it permissible to take something without the owner's knowledge, knowing that the owner placed it in the trash can, meaning he does not need it? Is it permissible to take it?
Answer:
If the owner threw it away in the trash can, as the questioner mentioned, because he wanted to get rid of it and does not want it, then there is no harm in taking it, because it is abandoned property. However, if the owner is keeping it, having placed it in a place where it is preserved, then it is not permissible to take anything from it without his permission, because taking it without his knowledge is appropriating another person's property without his consent. Indeed, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The wealth of a Muslim is not lawful except by the willing consent of his soul,
لا يحل مال امرئ مسلم إلا بطيبة من نفسه،
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، هل يجوز أخذ شيئا دون علم صاحبه علماً أن صاحبه وضعه في سلة المهملات أي أنه لا يحتاج إليه فهل يجوز...؟ — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.