I found a gold bracelet in the Noble Prophet’s Mosque during the month of Ramadan, took it, and offered it for sale. Its price was approximately (420 riyals), and I gave part of it in charity.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : You said in your question that you found a gold bracelet in the Noble Prophet’s Mosque during the month of Ramadan, took it, and offered it for sale. The price was approximately four hundred and twenty riyals. You gave part of it in charity and kept the rest. What is the ruling in the Shari'ah, in your view, on this action of yours? May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : This action is a mistake, because it is obligatory for the one who finds lost property to identify it, specifying its type, description, and everything needed to identify it. Then he must announce it for a full year so that its owner may be found. If the owner comes, that is fine; otherwise, it belongs to him. It is not permissible for him to dispose of it or take possession of it before the year is complete, unless the disposal is for its benefit, such as if the lost item is something that spoils quickly, in which case he sells it to preserve it, and there is no harm in that. However, he must not take possession of it before the year is complete.
And correcting the mistake made by this questioner is that she should give in charity the remaining amount of the price for which she sold the bracelet, because it is not her property, and she should repent to Allah for what she did. And whoever repents, Allah accepts his repentance. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. Also, the listener says.
The Shaykh : This action is a mistake, because it is obligatory for the one who finds lost property to identify it, specifying its type, description, and everything needed to identify it. Then he must announce it for a full year so that its owner may be found. If the owner comes, that is fine; otherwise, it belongs to him. It is not permissible for him to dispose of it or take possession of it before the year is complete, unless the disposal is for its benefit, such as if the lost item is something that spoils quickly, in which case he sells it to preserve it, and there is no harm in that. However, he must not take possession of it before the year is complete.
And correcting the mistake made by this questioner is that she should give in charity the remaining amount of the price for which she sold the bracelet, because it is not her property, and she should repent to Allah for what she did. And whoever repents, Allah accepts his repentance. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. Also, the listener says.