What should I do with five [currency units] I found in the street, which most likely do not belong to me? Should I return them to the street, or give them as charity on behalf of their owner?
A lost item (Luqatah) that must be announced is one that has considerable value. As for an insignificant item, it is permissible to possess and benefit from it without announcing it. The criterion for distinguishing between what is trivial and what is not is common practice (urf). If the lost item has value, it must be announced for a full lunar year, whether the finder intends to own it or to keep it for its owner. Whoever takes a lost item believing it to be theirs is not liable for it if they return it to its place, even if it perishes or someone else consumes it, because their taking was not for the purpose of ownership, but rather because they believed it was theirs, or to know its description, or to safeguard it. However, whoever takes it for themselves and then returns it to its place is liable for it if it perishes.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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