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What is the ruling of Islamic law concerning the ownership and sale of two cars found in the desert as a result of a civil war, to whom do they belong, and is it permissible for the buyer to keep them knowing their story?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The two cars are valuable property subject to the rulings of lost-and-found (Luqata). The finder must publicize them for a year in places where people gather, using a vague description. If someone comes forward and describes them thoroughly, they should be handed over to him. If multiple people describe them, they belong to the one with the most accurate description, and if they are equally accurate, they should be divided among them. If the year passes and their owner does not appear, the finder may take possession of them and dispose of them, or hold onto them until their owner is found, or give them as charity on behalf of their owner. It is not permissible to sell them before the end of the publicizing period; otherwise, it would be an impermissible act for which the doer is liable and incurs sin.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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