ISLAMIC RULINGS ON LOST AND FOUND ITEMS.

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

 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. 

a) If someone finds an object, he should acquaint himself with the features that distinguish it from all similar objects. This will allow him to identify the right owner if he comes to claim it and asks him about its distinguishing features.

b) If he knows its distinguishing features, he should advertise it in public places, markets and outside Mosques, but not inside the Mosques, as this is deemed a Makrooh act. He should then wait for a year.

How should the finder be compensated for announcing, publicising or maintenance expenditure?

Hanafi and Hanbali jurists maintain that the finder should incur such expenses as sadaqah. Imam Malik  may  ALLAH Azzawajal have  mercy  upon  him maintained: "The owner is to be given two options: either to reclaim it from the person who has found it, by paying him back for what he has spent on it, or to give it to him in return for the expenses incurred." Shafi'i jurists say that the judge takes the money from the public treasury of the Muslim state and gives it to the finder of the lost property to use it for advertising purposes, or the finder may borrow this money and would consider it as a loan to the owner. 

Whatever we do, we must have good intentions in keeping the lost item so that whenever the owner is identified, it is returned in good faith seeking rewards from ALLAH Azzawajal not from the owner but if the owner voluntarily offer you something in return you can accept it as gift. May ALLAH Azzawajal keep guiding and protecting us from any satanic influences. Aameen.