He gave him a sum of money without specifying a reason, then this person died; should the amount be returned to his heirs?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Fatwa No. ( 65 )
Q: In the month of Shawwal, a man gave me a sum of one thousand five hundred riyals (1500) in cash, and he did not mention a reason for it. He did not say it was a gift, nor merchandise, nor a debt, nor a trust, and he did not assign any reason for giving it to me. Eventually, he passed away eight months after the date I wrote this petition. I waited for news from the heirs, whether by a document, a transfer, a bequest, or an entry in a ledger, but I heard nothing of this. I know that his heirs are his brothers; he had no children, was not married, and his financial situation was moderate. Therefore, I hope you will inform me what I should do with this amount?
A: Since the questioner admitted to receiving the amount and its value, and he knows who gave it to him, and he knows his heirs, and he does not know a reason for the delivery of this amount, the original ruling regarding wealth is that it belongs to its owners and does not transfer from them except by a valid legal basis. Therefore, this amount is considered a trust in the hands of the one seeking the ruling. He should hand it over to the deceased's heirs through the judicial authority, and his conscience will be cleared thereby. And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
Q: In the month of Shawwal, a man gave me a sum of one thousand five hundred riyals (1500) in cash, and he did not mention a reason for it. He did not say it was a gift, nor merchandise, nor a debt, nor a trust, and he did not assign any reason for giving it to me. Eventually, he passed away eight months after the date I wrote this petition. I waited for news from the heirs, whether by a document, a transfer, a bequest, or an entry in a ledger, but I heard nothing of this. I know that his heirs are his brothers; he had no children, was not married, and his financial situation was moderate. Therefore, I hope you will inform me what I should do with this amount?
A: Since the questioner admitted to receiving the amount and its value, and he knows who gave it to him, and he knows his heirs, and he does not know a reason for the delivery of this amount, the original ruling regarding wealth is that it belongs to its owners and does not transfer from them except by a valid legal basis. Therefore, this amount is considered a trust in the hands of the one seeking the ruling. He should hand it over to the deceased's heirs through the judicial authority, and his conscience will be cleared thereby. And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.