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Picking up a lost thing
Narrated Zaid ibn Khalid may Allah be pleased with him:
A man came to the Mesenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) and asked about Al-Luqata (a fallen thing). the Mesenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said: "Recognize its container and its tying material and then make a public announcement about it for one year and if its owner shows up, give it to him; otherwise use it as you like." The man said: "What about a lost sheep?" the Mesenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said, "It is for you, your brother or the wolf." The man said "What about a lost camel?" the Mesenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said: "Why should you take it as it has got its water-container (its stomach) and its hooves and it can reach the places of water and can eat the trees till its owner finds it?"
Sahih al-Bukhari
The companions of the Prophet, may Allah be pleased with them, used to do their best to avoid the doubtful matters whatever they are. So as to keep their religion and honor blameless.
If they did not know the ruling of a certain matter; whether it is prohibited or not, they will ask the Messenger of Allah ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ), then he will answer them as his Lord inspires to him.
The Luqatah is all types of wealth that is subject to loss while no one knows its owner. Whether it is money or clothing or food whose owner will search for it if he lost it. Whether it is found on the road or in the mosque or in a house that is not inhabited or in a car or a train.
Picking up the lost thing is liable to different rulings, it may be obligatory, or recommended, or permitted, or prohibited.
Picking up the lost thing is obligatory if one is afraid of its loss, especially if it is respectful money unless one yearns to possess it, then he shall not take it.
Picking up the lost thing is recommended if he wants to return it to its owner, because it is part of the cooperation that Allah which commanded us to do.
It is permissible to abstain from picking up the lost thing if it is most likely that the owner will find it by himself if he asked for it or remembered its place or it is most likely that someone else will take it and send it to the owner.
whoever finds any property in Makkah, it is not permissible for him to pick it up unless he will stay and ask about its owner for the rest of his life, and if he dies before finding its owner, he will leave instructions to his children to ask about its owner or his heirs after him… And so on.
In this commandment, I discussed the rulings of picking up the lost thing briefly, and I shall – so as to complete the benefit - mention the rule of the foundling, a child who lost his way, yet no one knows his house or even any one of his family.
I say: Every Muslim who founds this child shall protect him against loss, take him to the nearest police station, or ask by the people of the place from which he picked him up, and then report the mass media. He shall fear Allah and treat him kindly until he finds his family.
