Disposal of a deposit
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Fatwa No. ( 1160 )
Q: My maternal grandfather passed away a few years ago. The deceased had informed his son that he held a trust for a man, dating back approximately thirty years. The trust consisted of six hundred old Saudi Arabian silver riyals. The man who entrusted him with this trust had promised to come and collect it the following day. My grandfather had no
relationship or acquaintance with this man who deposited the trust with him; in fact, he did not even know his name. The man never came to collect his trust. After fifteen years had passed, my grandfather needed the trust, so he spent it, exchanging the old Saudi silver riyal for one Saudi riyal, and he used the money for his own expenses. Up to this point, we have done nothing regarding this trust. We ask for a ruling so that the deceased’s conscience may be cleared of this trust.
A: If the situation is as you described regarding your grandfather, that he died owing a debt equivalent to the trust this man deposited with him, then his heirs must pay six hundred Saudi silver riyals to the judge of the court you follow. They should inform him of its nature, quantity, the date it was deposited, and other details of the trust that your grandfather told his son. The court will then preserve it for its owner if his identity can be ascertained; otherwise, it will be spent on public interests, such as charity for the poor, the construction of mosques, and the like. In this way, your father’s conscience will be cleared, if Allah wills.
Q: My maternal grandfather passed away a few years ago. The deceased had informed his son that he held a trust for a man, dating back approximately thirty years. The trust consisted of six hundred old Saudi Arabian silver riyals. The man who entrusted him with this trust had promised to come and collect it the following day. My grandfather had no
relationship or acquaintance with this man who deposited the trust with him; in fact, he did not even know his name. The man never came to collect his trust. After fifteen years had passed, my grandfather needed the trust, so he spent it, exchanging the old Saudi silver riyal for one Saudi riyal, and he used the money for his own expenses. Up to this point, we have done nothing regarding this trust. We ask for a ruling so that the deceased’s conscience may be cleared of this trust.
A: If the situation is as you described regarding your grandfather, that he died owing a debt equivalent to the trust this man deposited with him, then his heirs must pay six hundred Saudi silver riyals to the judge of the court you follow. They should inform him of its nature, quantity, the date it was deposited, and other details of the trust that your grandfather told his son. The court will then preserve it for its owner if his identity can be ascertained; otherwise, it will be spent on public interests, such as charity for the poor, the construction of mosques, and the like. In this way, your father’s conscience will be cleared, if Allah wills.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.