ISLAMIC RULINGS ON LOST AND FOUND ITEMS

 DAILY ISLAMIC REMINDER. Yawmul Jumuat, 4th day of Rabeeu ath-thaani 1447AH, Friday, 26th September, 2025.

*_ISLAMIC RULINGS ON LOST AND FOUND ITEMS_*. BismilLah 

Alhamdulillah for granting us the opportunity to be part of this blessed day of the week. Islam has solutions to all issues in life so let's study from the Sunnah about this topic. 

Al-luqtah is property that has gone missing from its owner and it is one of the categories of Islamic jurisprudence or fiqh. If property goes missing from its owner, it has to be one of the following three scenarios:

The first scenario: it is something to which most people would not attach much value, such as a whip, a loaf of bread, some fruit, or a miswak etc, something that is perishable or has no value. In these cases, the person who finds the property may keep it and use it without having to announce it, because of the report narrated by Jaabir RA, who said: “The Messenger of ALLAH (peace and blessings of ALLAH be upon him) made exceptions in the case of a stick or a whip or a rope that a man picks up.” (Reported by Abu Dawood).

The second scenario: (animals) that are unlikely to be harmed by small predators, either because of their size, such as camels, horses, cattle and mules, or because they can fly, like birds, or because they move swiftly, like gazelles, or because they can defend themselves with their fangs, like leopards. This is the category that it is haraam to keep. These things do not become the property of the finder after he announces it for a year, because when the Prophet  (peace and blessings of ALLAH be upon him) was asked about a lost camel, he said: “What has it got to do with you? It has its water, it can walk to find water and it can eat trees until its owner finds it.” (Agreed upon). ‘Umar RA said, “Whoever takes a lost animal is misguided” i.e., he is a sinner. The Prophet  (peace and blessings of ALLAH be upon him) ruled in this hadeeth that the lost animal should not be taken, it should be left to find its own water and to eat from the trees until its owner comes across it. This also applies to large implements, such as big pans, wood, iron and anything that can be left alone without getting damaged. Such things can hardly be lost and cannot move from where they are, so it is haraam to take them just as it is haraam to take lost large animals, and in fact, it may be more haraam to do so. If you fear people with no eemaan or thieves can take them then you can take them for safekeeping and announce to the community through the masjid or the chief announcements procedure to try and find the owner for one year before if no one claims it then you can use it but you will pay back if the owner turns up later after the year. To be continued tomorrow in ShaaALLAH. *_May ALLAH Azzawajal keep guiding and protecting us from any acts of disobedience_*. Aameen.