Sahih al-Bukhari

Sahih al-Bukhari 2428

Arabic hadith text

حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي سُلَيْمَانُ، عَنْ يَحْيَى، عَنْ يَزِيدَ، مَوْلَى الْمُنْبَعِثِ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ زَيْدَ بْنَ خَالِدٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ يَقُولُ سُئِلَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنِ اللُّقَطَةِ فَزَعَمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ ‏"‏ اعْرِفْ عِفَاصَهَا وَوِكَاءَهَا، ثُمَّ عَرِّفْهَا سَنَةً ‏"‏‏.‏ يَقُولُ يَزِيدُ إِنْ لَمْ تُعْتَرَفِ اسْتَنْفَقَ بِهَا صَاحِبُهَا وَكَانَتْ وَدِيعَةً، عِنْدَهُ‏.‏ قَالَ يَحْيَى فَهَذَا الَّذِي لاَ أَدْرِي أَفِي حَدِيثِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم هُوَ أَمْ شَىْءٌ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ ـ ثُمَّ قَالَ كَيْفَ تَرَى فِي ضَالَّةِ الْغَنَمِ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ خُذْهَا فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ لَكَ أَوْ لأَخِيكَ أَوْ لِلذِّئْبِ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ يَزِيدُ وَهْىَ تُعَرَّفُ أَيْضًا‏.‏ ثُمَّ قَالَ كَيْفَ تَرَى فِي ضَالَّةِ الإِبِلِ قَالَ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ دَعْهَا فَإِنَّ مَعَهَا حِذَاءَهَا وَسِقَاءَهَا، تَرِدُ الْمَاءَ وَتَأْكُلُ الشَّجَرَ، حَتَّى يَجِدَهَا رَبُّهَا ‏"‏‏.‏

Translation

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.’