Back to search

Is it permissible for Zayd to sell Muhammad's cell phone, which was left with him, after Muhammad disconnected service from the SIM card?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A mobile phone whose owner cannot be identified is considered a luqatah (found property), and it must be announced for a year in public places and newspapers. It is a trust with the finder, who is not liable for it except in cases of transgression or negligence. If its owner comes and describes it, it should be handed over to them. If a year passes and the owner does not appear, the finder may donate it as charity or benefit from it. If the owner appears after that, they may either approve the charity or the ownership; otherwise, they are entitled to its value from the finder. It is not permissible to sell the mobile phone or dispose of it until after a year has passed and it has been announced, based on the hadith of Zayd ibn Khalid in Al-Bukhari.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy