The ruling on one who finds a valuable item whose owner he does not know, then repents to Allah and wants his conscience to be clear of this item
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The ruling on one who finds a valuable item whose owner he does not know, then repents to Allah and wants his conscience to be clear of this item
A man was traveling and found a valuable watch at one of the gas stations, so he took it and did not know its owner. After a period of time, he repented to Allah and wanted to get rid of this watch. Should he give it in charity or give it to the one in authority?
It is obligatory for him, after Allah has accepted his repentance and guided him to it, to estimate its value at the place where he found it; because time may have passed during which its value changed. So he estimates its value today based on what it would be worth if it were in the condition he found it in. Then he gives it in charity to its owner, or he sells it. Then he takes the difference between its value when he found it and its value now, and gives that in charity along with the price he sold it for.
A man was traveling and found a valuable watch at one of the gas stations, so he took it and did not know its owner. After a period of time, he repented to Allah and wanted to get rid of this watch. Should he give it in charity or give it to the one in authority?
It is obligatory for him, after Allah has accepted his repentance and guided him to it, to estimate its value at the place where he found it; because time may have passed during which its value changed. So he estimates its value today based on what it would be worth if it were in the condition he found it in. Then he gives it in charity to its owner, or he sells it. Then he takes the difference between its value when he found it and its value now, and gives that in charity along with the price he sold it for.