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Does the one who finds buried treasure in a mosque deserve the entire treasure, or does he get a specific share?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Buried treasure is of two types: if it dates back to the pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyyah), it is considered "rikaz" (a buried treasure from the time of ignorance). In this case, it belongs to the one who finds it, after giving out one-fifth as charity, because no one has exclusive ownership over the interior of the mosque. If it dates back to the Islamic era, it is considered "luqata" (a lost item). It must be returned to its owner if known, or to their heirs if the owner has died. Otherwise, it should be publicized for a year, and if its owner does not appear, then it belongs to the one who found it.

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

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