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﴿ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

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What is the wisdom behind the fact that lost property in Makkah is not permissible except for the one who announces it?

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Question : What is the wisdom behind the fact that lost property in Makkah is not permissible except for the one who announces it, unlike lost property elsewhere, which becomes permissible for the one who announces it after one year?

Answer : We say: If a person knows that he will be burdened with announcing this lost property for the rest of his life, will he take it or leave it?
He will leave it, because as long as he has no benefit from it other than fatigue and hardship, he will leave it. So if the second person comes and leaves it, and the third comes and leaves it, and the fourth comes and leaves it, and everyone who passes by it leaves it, to whom does it ultimately return?
To its owner, because its owner will lose it and then return to search for it, tracing its path until he finds it. This is part of the complete security in Makkah. So, my brothers, this has become one of the rulings concerning the Makkah sanctuary, what is it? Yes, my son.
That it is not permissible to take it except for the one who announces it for the rest of his life, unlike other places on earth, where if he announces it for one year and does not find its owner, it is his.
Source قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، 564- ما الحكمة في أن لقطة مكة لا تحل إلا لمُعرِّف؟ II فوائد من الدروس الفقهية من المحاضرات الجامعية — youtube.com

The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.

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