Lost Things Picked up by Someone (Luqatah)

Adam narrated to us: Shu'ba narrated to us. Muhammad ibn Bashshar also told me: Ghundar narrated to us: Shu'ba narrated to us, from Salama, who said: I heard Suwayd ibn Ghafala say: I met Ubayy ibn Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: I found a purse containing one hundred dinars and brought it to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He said, ‘Announce it for a year.’ I did so, but found no one who recognized it. Then I came back to him, and he said, ‘Announce it for a year.’ I did so and found no one. I came back to him a third time, and he said, ‘Remember its container, its number, and its tie. If its owner comes, return it to him; otherwise, make use of it.’ I made use of it. Later I met him in Mecca, and he said, ‘I do not know whether it was three years or one year.’

Amr ibn Abbas narrated to us: Abd al-Rahman narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from Rabi'a, who said: Yazid, the client of al-Munba'ith, told me, from Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him): A Bedouin came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him about something found. He said: ‘Announce it for a year, then remember its container and tie. If someone comes and describes it to you, [return it to him]; otherwise, spend it.’ The man asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, what about a lost sheep?’ He said: ‘It is yours, your brother’s, or the wolf’s.’ He asked, ‘What about a lost camel?’ The Prophet’s face changed, and he said: ‘What business have you with it? It has its shoes and its water reserve; it reaches water and eats trees.’

Isma'il ibn Abd Allah narrated to us, saying: Sulayman told me, from Yahya, from Yazid, the client of al-Munba'ith, who heard Zayd ibn Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him) say: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about found property. He said—or so the narrator related—‘Identify its container and tie, then announce it for a year.’ Yazid said: If it is not identified, the finder may use it, but it remains entrusted to him. Yahya said: I do not know whether this was part of the Messenger of Allah’s hadith or something said by Yazid.

Then Zayd said: The Prophet was asked, ‘What about a lost sheep?’ He said, ‘Take it, for it is yours, your brother’s, or the wolf’s.’ Yazid said that it too should be announced. Then he was asked about a lost camel. He said: ‘Leave it, for it has its shoes and water reserve; it reaches water and eats trees until its owner finds it.’

Abd Allah ibn Yusuf informed us: Malik informed us, from Rabi'a ibn Abi Abd al-Rahman, from Yazid, the client of al-Munba'ith, from Zayd ibn Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him): A man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him about found property. He said: ‘Identify its container and tie, then announce it for a year. If its owner comes, return it; otherwise, you may decide what to do with it.’ The man asked, ‘What about a lost sheep?’ He said: ‘It is yours, your brother’s, or the wolf’s.’ He asked, ‘What about a lost camel?’ He said: ‘What business have you with it? It has its water reserve and its shoes; it reaches water and eats trees until its owner finds it.’

Al-Layth said: Ja'far ibn Rabi'a told me, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Hurmuz, from Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who mentioned a man from the Children of Israel—and related the hadith. [At its conclusion:] The man went out to see whether a ship might have arrived with his money. Then he found the piece of wood, took it home for firewood, and when he split it open, he found the money and the written note.

Muhammad ibn Yusuf narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from Mansur, from Talha, from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a date lying on the road and said: ‘Were I not afraid it might be from charity, I would eat it.’ Yahya said: Sufyan narrated to us; Mansur told me. Za'ida also narrated it from Mansur, from Talha, who said: Anas narrated to us.

Muhammad ibn Muqatil narrated to us: Abd Allah informed us: Ma'mar informed us, from Hammam ibn Munabbih, from Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: ‘When I return home, I sometimes find a date fallen on my bed. I pick it up to eat it, then fear that it may be charity, so I discard it.’

Ahmad ibn Sa'id also said: Ruh narrated to us: Zakariyya narrated to us: Amr ibn Dinar narrated to us, from Ikrima, from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Its thorn trees are not to be cut, its game is not to be startled, its found property is not lawful except for someone who will announce it, and its grass is not to be cut.’ Abbas said, ‘Messenger of Allah, except idhkhir.’ He said, ‘Except idhkhir.’

Yahya ibn Musa narrated to us: al-Walid ibn Muslim narrated to us: al-Awza'i narrated to us, saying: Yahya ibn Abi Kathir told me: Abu Salama ibn Abd al-Rahman told me: Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) told me: When Allah granted His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) victory over Mecca, he stood among the people, praised Allah, and extolled Him. Then he said: ‘Allah held back the Elephant from Mecca and gave His Messenger and the believers authority over it. It was not lawful for anyone before me; it was made lawful for me for an hour of a day; and it will not be lawful for anyone after me. Its game is not to be startled, its thorn bushes are not to be cut, and its found property is not lawful except for someone who will announce it. Whoever has a slain relative may choose the better of two options: ransom or retaliation.’ Al-Abbas said, ‘Except idhkhir, for we use it for our graves and houses.’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Except idhkhir.’ Abu Shah, a man from Yemen, stood and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, have this written down for me.’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Write it down for Abu Shah.’ I asked al-Awza'i what Abu Shah meant by ‘Have this written down for me, Messenger of Allah.’ He said, ‘This sermon that he heard from the Messenger of Allah.’

Abd Allah ibn Yusuf informed us: Malik informed us, from Nafi, from Abd Allah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘No one should milk another person’s livestock without that person’s permission. Would any of you like someone to come to his store, break open its container, and take away his food? The udders of people’s livestock are the storehouses of their provisions. So no one should milk another person’s livestock without permission.’

Qutayba ibn Sa'id narrated to us: Isma'il ibn Ja'far narrated to us, from Rabi'a ibn Abi Abd al-Rahman, from Yazid, the client of al-Munba'ith, from Zayd ibn Khalid al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him): A man asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about found property. He said: ‘Announce it for a year, then learn its tie and container, and use it. If its owner comes, return it to him.’ They asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, what about a lost sheep?’ He said: ‘Take it, for it is yours, your brother’s, or the wolf’s.’ The man asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, what about a lost camel?’ The Messenger of Allah became angry until his cheeks—or his face—reddened. Then he said: ‘What business have you with it? It has its shoes and water reserve until its owner finds it.’

Sulayman ibn Harb narrated to us: Shu'ba narrated to us, from Salama ibn Kuhayl, who said: I heard Suwayd ibn Ghafala say: I was with Salman ibn Rabi'a and Zayd ibn Suhan on a military expedition when I found a whip. One of them told me, ‘Drop it.’ I said, ‘No. If I find its owner, I will return it; otherwise, I will make use of it.’ When we returned, we performed the pilgrimage, and I passed through Medina and asked Ubayy ibn Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: ‘In the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), I found a purse containing one hundred dinars and brought it to him. He said, “Announce it for a year.” I announced it for a year, then came back. He said, “Announce it for a year.” I announced it for a year, then came back. He said, “Announce it for a year.” I announced it for a year, then came to him a fourth time. He said, “Remember its amount, its tie, and its container. If its owner comes, return it; otherwise, make use of it.”’

Abdan said: My father informed me, from Shu'ba, from Salama, with this same report. He said: I met him later in Mecca, and he said, ‘I do not know whether it was three years or one year.’

Muhammad ibn Yusuf narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from Rabi'a, from Yazid, the client of al-Munba'ith, from Zayd ibn Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him): A Bedouin asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about found property. He said: ‘Announce it for a year. If someone comes and describes its container and tie, return it to him; otherwise, make use of it.’ The man asked him about a lost camel. The Prophet’s face changed, and he said: ‘What business have you with it? It has its water reserve and shoes; it reaches water and eats trees. Leave it until its owner finds it.’ He asked him about a lost sheep, and the Prophet said: ‘It is yours, your brother’s, or the wolf’s.’

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim informed us: al-Nadr informed us: Isra'il informed us, from Abu Ishaq, who said: al-Bara' told me, from Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them both). Abd Allah ibn Raja' narrated to us: Isra'il narrated to us, from Abu Ishaq, from al-Bara', from Abu Bakr, who said: I set out and came upon a shepherd driving his sheep. I asked, ‘Whose are you?’ He said, ‘A man from Quraysh,’ and named him, so I recognized him. I asked, ‘Do your sheep have milk?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I asked, ‘Will you milk some for me?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I asked him to restrain one of his sheep, then to shake the dust from its udder, then to shake the dust from his hands. He showed me by striking one hand against the other. He then milked a small amount. I had prepared a waterskin for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), with a cloth over its opening. I poured water over the milk until its lower part cooled. I came to the Prophet and said, ‘Drink, Messenger of Allah.’ He drank until I was satisfied.