Is it permissible to reuse stamps that were placed on letters but not cancelled?

The questioner : Another question. Sometimes letters come to us, and the stamp on the letter was not cancelled by mistake, meaning from the post office. This is common in America, and it is likely common here as well. So it is possible to remove these stamps and use them again. Is it permissible to use them or not?

The Shaykh : By Allah, it appears that it is permissible, because the mistake lies with the one who has the cancellation stamp. He did not cancel it because this would be considered a waste of money at that time.

The questioner : But this stamp is considered like a fee for sending a letter from one place to another.

The Shaykh : Yes, it is known that it is a fee. But suppose it were a lost item with value. If he does not cheat regarding this stamp, the better course is to use it and benefit from it, just like a lost item. And you know, if Allah wills, that among the details of a lost item is that if it is of low value, it does not need to be announced; its owner may benefit from it. Unlike if it is of high value, in which case it must be announced. This stamp is of this type. I do not see any objection to using it, as long as he did not intend, in one way or another, to benefit from such a stamp, and the mistake was with the employee there. And Allah knows best.

The questioner : Shaykh, can this be applied to public telephones in the streets? Sometimes we find a telephone that, due to a technical fault, allows a person to make a call to Brazil through it.

The Shaykh : The same answer, my brother. One who does not cheat.

The questioner : There is no cheating.

The Shaykh : The same answer.

The questioner : Regarding this issue, if it is our strong belief that the owners of the stamps...

The Shaykh : As if it is our strong belief that this matter is not what?

The questioner : That they do not accept this matter, stamps that are not cancelled.

The Shaykh : We do not look at that. Although I see that what you are saying is a pure hypothetical.

The questioner : Okay, if our Shaykh, the post office is close to him, he could mean to say, "This stamp that you did not cancel, take it."

The Shaykh : We also tell you to do that. But is this practical? Because when the stamp is cancelled on the envelope, what does he do with the envelope? He throws it in a box. We do not need to expand our imagination too much.

The questioner : Our Shaykh, regarding this stamp, it might not cost anything, and it is a method for obtaining a specific right. I do not know, meaning your answer still appears to be the same.

The Shaykh : The answer is still the same.

The questioner : He who does not want to use it, does not use it.

The Shaykh : Well done. Yes.
Abu Layla : I have a comment here, our Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Please.
Abu Layla : The one who wants to speak, our Shaykh, should raise his voice so that there is no noise.