He said: I was traveling with my son, who was sixteen years old, in search of a livelihood. One day, my son picked up a wallet that he found lying on the ground in one of the streets.

The questioner : He said: I was traveling with my son, who was sixteen years old, in search of a livelihood. One day, my son picked up a wallet that he found lying on the ground in one of the streets. Inside it were six hundred dirhams, and we do not know the owner of this wallet. We spent it on our personal needs because of my ignorance of the ruling on such a matter. What should we do now, and what is required of us?

The Shaykh : You should now give in charity an amount equivalent to these dirhams, with the intention that it is for the owner, to be rid of the sin. Perhaps Allah will forgive you. Otherwise, it is obligatory for the one who finds lost property that is of a kind that people of average status would seek and that people would covet, to announce it for one year. If the owner comes, it is his; if not, it is his. As for spending it on his personal needs merely because he found it, this is not permissible. So you must repent to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) and give it in charity for the owner. We ask Allah for forgiveness for us and for you.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with the best reward.