Back to search

What should be done with money found after a month of unsuccessful searching for its owner, is it permissible to donate it with the intention of its owner, and is it permissible to benefit from it due to need?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The one who picks up a valuable lost item (luqata) must announce it for a full year, during the day but not at night. The announcement should be made on the day it was found, then daily for the following week, then once a week, then once or twice a month, at the place where it was found, and at the entrances of mosques, large mosques, markets, gatherings, assemblies, places where travelers stay, and resting places for journeys.

What you did is not considered a legitimate announcement for the lost item. You must continue to announce the lost item until a full year has passed from the day you picked it up, or until you complete the month in the second year during which you did not announce the lost item.

You do not have the right to own the lost item because you delayed its announcement.

If you do not find the owner of the lost item after a year has passed, you have the choice between giving it as charity on behalf of its owner, while guaranteeing it to him, or handing it over to the ruler if he is trustworthy. If there is no trustworthy ruler, then you must give it as charity.

It is not permissible for the one who possesses these items to take from them for himself if he is eligible for charity. However, it may be permissible to consume from it if he is poor, and this is a view held by some scholars.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy