Is it permissible to sell household items found by mistake among personal belongings at customs, and donate the proceeds to a brother who is mentally ill and unemployed, after failing to locate their owner?

Scholars have differed on the ruling concerning someone who finds an item among his belongings whose owner is unknown, holding two views: The Hanbalis are of the opinion that it is a luqatah (found item) that must be announced for a year, after which the finder may take ownership of it while guaranteeing it to its owner should he appear. In contrast, the Shafi'is hold that it is lost property and not a luqatah. If its owner is not found, it should be returned to the public treasury (Bayt al-Mal) or spent on the welfare of Muslims.

The more preponderant view is that what is mistakenly placed among a person's belongings without his choice is lost property and not a luqatah, because a luqatah is something found lying around and picked up. Accordingly, the finder must exert effort to reach the owner of the item. If he despairs of finding him, he should give it, or its value, as charity. If he then finds the owner, he should give him the choice between approving the charity or taking the value.