What is the ruling concerning a man who found 100 Egyptian pounds and did not announce it, and three and a half years have passed, and now he wants to return it, given that he has left the building where he found it, and there are 10 families living there?

Whoever finds an important lost item must publicize it for one year from the time it was found. If its owner is identified, it should be handed over to him. Otherwise, the finder may benefit from it, while being obliged to return it to its owner whenever he appears. However, if the lost item is trivial and of no importance, it may be owned immediately without publicizing it.

Regarding the hundred [currency unit] you found, which is valuable, it should have been publicized immediately. You must repent for this shortcoming. You are not required to publicize it now due to the passage of time, but you should inquire about its owner in the place where it was found. If its owner is not identified, then you must donate it on his behalf to charitable causes.