A piece of used carpet fell on the road from one of the passersby, and the street workers picked up one piece, and I took the other, and they placed it on
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The questioner : This listener, Abu 'Abd al-'Aziz, says in his message: Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings. I inform you, O honorable Shaykh, that I love you for the sake of Allah, and I ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to gather us with you in the highest level of Paradise. Honorable Shaykh, in my first question, I say: Two pieces of used carpet fell on the road from one of the passersby. The street workers picked up one piece, and I took the other, and they placed it on the sidewalk. The one with me, I put it in the shop. It fell at approximately 5:30 in the afternoon until Maghrib, and its owner did not show up. On the second day, I took it out around the shop in a clear manner so that its owner could recognize it. I did not find anyone asking about it for more than a week, and I was taking it out every day until Maghrib, and after that I put it inside the shop. Should I use it, or should I pay its price and intend it as charity for the owner of this piece? I ask the honorable Shaykh Muhammad for an answer.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. And after that, peace be upon the one who sent the question, and Allah's mercy and blessings. And I ask Allah the Exalted to love him as I love him in Him. And I say to him: If something falls from a car, and it is of no consequence, and one is unable to find the owner of the car, then it belongs to the finder, just as if something worth two or three or ten riyals falls. In our current time, we do not care about the loss of ten riyals or similar amounts of money. Perhaps in a past time, ten riyals might have been of consequence and sought after and asked about. But in our time, praise be to Allah, and due to the abundance of money in people's hands, ten riyals and similar amounts have become of no consequence. So if it is not worth ten riyals and you are unable to know its owner, then it is yours. And even with this, if you were scrupulous and gave it in charity, if it is something that can be given in charity, or you valued it in dirhams and gave the dirhams in charity and kept it for yourself, that would be better. Better than taking possession of it without compensation.
And as for if you know the owner of the car, then it is obligatory upon you to inform him of it, even if it is of little value. So if a key that is not worth two riyals falls from the owner of the car, and you know the owner of this car, then it is obligatory upon you to deliver it to him or inform him that this key fell from you and it is with you. Because it distinguishes between the known and the unknown.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And as for if what fell from the car is something of consequence that the middle class of people would seek after, then it is obligatory upon you to announce it for a full year, meaning that you search for its owner for a full year. If its owner comes, then it is his. If he does not come, then it is yours.
And likewise is said regarding what we find in the markets of lost property. The trivial thing that is worth only something that the middle class of people would not seek after belongs to the finder. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a date in the market and saidSunan al-Bayhaqi 9:439.
And as for if it is among the matters that the middle class of people would seek after, and the man who lost it searches for it, then it is necessary to announce it, meaning to seek its owner and ask about it for a full year. If its owner comes, otherwise it belongs to the finder.
So you look at this carpet that you found. If it is worth only a small, trivial amount, then it is yours if it is difficult to know the owner of the car. Although the better course, as I said, is to value it and give its price in charity to its owner, or give it in charity to someone who can benefit from it.
As for if it is something of consequence that the middle class of people would seek after, then it is necessary to announce it for a full year, perhaps its owner will find it. If it is not found, then it is yours. And even with this, we say in this case that the better course is to give its value in charity on behalf of its owner, or give it itself in charity if it is something that can be benefited from. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. He has a second question, O honorable Shaykh, and finally, he says: Some customers come...
The Shaykh : Yes. And the reason we made the better course to give it in charity or value it and give its value in charity is that in reality, it is not pure lost property.
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : And the specific owner is not known, so it is in between. Therefore, we said that the most cautious and better course is to give it in charity or give its value in charity and take possession of it. Yes.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. And after that, peace be upon the one who sent the question, and Allah's mercy and blessings. And I ask Allah the Exalted to love him as I love him in Him. And I say to him: If something falls from a car, and it is of no consequence, and one is unable to find the owner of the car, then it belongs to the finder, just as if something worth two or three or ten riyals falls. In our current time, we do not care about the loss of ten riyals or similar amounts of money. Perhaps in a past time, ten riyals might have been of consequence and sought after and asked about. But in our time, praise be to Allah, and due to the abundance of money in people's hands, ten riyals and similar amounts have become of no consequence. So if it is not worth ten riyals and you are unable to know its owner, then it is yours. And even with this, if you were scrupulous and gave it in charity, if it is something that can be given in charity, or you valued it in dirhams and gave the dirhams in charity and kept it for yourself, that would be better. Better than taking possession of it without compensation.
And as for if you know the owner of the car, then it is obligatory upon you to inform him of it, even if it is of little value. So if a key that is not worth two riyals falls from the owner of the car, and you know the owner of this car, then it is obligatory upon you to deliver it to him or inform him that this key fell from you and it is with you. Because it distinguishes between the known and the unknown.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And as for if what fell from the car is something of consequence that the middle class of people would seek after, then it is obligatory upon you to announce it for a full year, meaning that you search for its owner for a full year. If its owner comes, then it is his. If he does not come, then it is yours.
And likewise is said regarding what we find in the markets of lost property. The trivial thing that is worth only something that the middle class of people would not seek after belongs to the finder. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a date in the market and said
If I did not fear that it might be from charity, I would have eaten it
لولا أني أخشى أن تكون من الصدقة لأكلتهاAnd as for if it is among the matters that the middle class of people would seek after, and the man who lost it searches for it, then it is necessary to announce it, meaning to seek its owner and ask about it for a full year. If its owner comes, otherwise it belongs to the finder.
So you look at this carpet that you found. If it is worth only a small, trivial amount, then it is yours if it is difficult to know the owner of the car. Although the better course, as I said, is to value it and give its price in charity to its owner, or give it in charity to someone who can benefit from it.
As for if it is something of consequence that the middle class of people would seek after, then it is necessary to announce it for a full year, perhaps its owner will find it. If it is not found, then it is yours. And even with this, we say in this case that the better course is to give its value in charity on behalf of its owner, or give it itself in charity if it is something that can be benefited from. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. He has a second question, O honorable Shaykh, and finally, he says: Some customers come...
The Shaykh : Yes. And the reason we made the better course to give it in charity or value it and give its value in charity is that in reality, it is not pure lost property.
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : And the specific owner is not known, so it is in between. Therefore, we said that the most cautious and better course is to give it in charity or give its value in charity and take possession of it. Yes.
The questioner : Very well.