Is it permissible to own abandoned state land through official documents in order to sell it and benefit from its price?
Lands that have no owner and no specific claims upon them are owned by a person through ihya' (revival), based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "Whoever revives a dead land, it belongs to him." Ihya' is achieved by erecting a fence around it, or digging a well in it and extracting water, or bringing a water source to it. If a person revives it by these methods, it is permissible to obtain documents proving his ownership of it. Otherwise, it is not permissible due to the falsehood and unlawful consumption of wealth involved.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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