Chapter on Lost Property and Stray Animals

رَوَى أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ الْبَرْقِيُّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَنْ وَهْبِ‌

"None consume from lost property except those who are themselves lost."

فِي رِوَايَةِ مَسْعَدَةَ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنِ الصَّادِقِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ ع أَنَّ عَلِيّاً صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ وَ سَلَامُهُ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ‌ إِيَّاكُمْ وَ اللُّقَطَةَ فَإِنَّهَا ضَالَّةُ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَ هِيَ حَرِيقٌ مِنْ حَرِيقِ جَهَنَّمَ‌[2].

Hadith.4048 - In a narration from Mas'adah ibn Ziyad, from Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad Al-Sadiq (as) from his father, Imam Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Baqir (as), that Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) said: "Beware of taking lost property, for it is the loss of a believer, and it is a flame from the flames of Hell."

نَعَمْ- قَالَ وَ كَانَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ ع يَقُولُ هِيَ لِأَهْلِهَا لَا تَمَسُّوهَا قَالَ وَ سَأَلْتُهُ‌[3] عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يُصِيبُ دِرْهَماً أَوْ ثَوْباً أَوْ دَابَّةً كَيْفَ يَصْنَعُ قَالَ يُعَرِّفُهَا سَنَةً فَإِنْ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ‌[4] جَعَلَهَا فِي عَرْضِ مَالِهِ حَتَّى يَجِي‌ءَ طَالِبُهَا فَيُعْطِيَهَا إِيَّاهُ وَ إِنْ مَاتَ أَوْصَى بِهَا وَ هُوَ لَهَا ضَامِنٌ‌[5].

Hadith.4049 - Ali ibn Ja'far asked his brother Imam Musa ibn Jafar Al-Kadhim (as) about a lost item found by a poor person, whether he is in the same position regarding it as a wealthy person. Imam (as) said: "Yes." Imam (as) further said: " Imam Ali ibn Al-Hussain (as) used to say, 'It belongs to its owner, do not tou

لَهُ رَجُلٌ وَجَدَ فِي بَيْتِهِ دِينَاراً فَقَالَ يَدْخُلُ مَنْزِلَهُ غَيْرُهُ فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ كَثِيرٌ قَالَ هَذِهِ لُقَطَةٌ قُلْتُ وَ رَجُلٌ وَجَدَ فِي صُنْدُوقِهِ دِينَاراً قَالَ يُدْخِلُ أَحَدٌ يَدَهُ فِي صُنْدُوقِهِ غَيْرُهُ أَوْ يَضَعُ فِيهِ شَيْئاً قُلْتُ لَا قَالَ فَهُوَ لَهُ‌[1].

I asked Imam (as) about a man who found a dinar in his house. Imam (as) said: "Does anyone else enter his house?" I said: "Yes, many people enter." Imam (as) said: "Then it is considered lost property (luqata)." I asked: "What about a man who found a dinar in his locked box?" Imam (as) said: "Does anyone else put their

إِلَى الطَّيِّبِ ع‌[3] إِنِّي كُنْتُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ فَرَأَيْتُ دِينَاراً فَأَهْوَيْتُ إِلَيْهِ لآِخُذَهُ فَإِذَا أَنَا بِآخَرَ ثُمَّ بَحَثْتُ الْحَصَى فَإِذَا أَنَا بِثَالِثٍ فَأَخَذْتُهَا فَعَرَّفْتُهَا وَ لَمْ يَعْرِفْهَا أَحَدٌ فَمَا تَرَى فِي ذَلِكَ فَكَتَبَ ع إِنِّي قَدْ فَهِمْتُ مَا ذَكَرْتَ مِنْ أَمْرِ الدَّنَانِيرِ فَإِنْ كُنْتَ مُحْتَاجاً فَتَصَدَّقْ بِثُلُثِهَا وَ إِنْ كُنْتَ غَنِيّاً فَتَصَدَّق

I wrote to al-Tayyib Imam Ali ibn Muhammad Al-Hadi (as): "I was in the Sacred Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) and saw a dinar. I reached out to take it, and then I found another one. I searched the pebbles and found a third. I took them and announced them, but no one claimed them. What do you advise regarding this matter?" Im

مَنْ وَجَدَ ضَالَّةً فَلَمْ يُعَرِّفْهَا ثُمَّ وُجِدَتْ عِنْدَهُ فَإِنَّهَا لِرَبِّهَا-

لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع رَجُلٌ وَجَدَ مَالًا فَعَرَّفَهُ حَتَّى إِذَا مَضَتِ السَّنَةُ اشْتَرَى بِهَا خَادِماً فَجَاءَ طَالِبُ الْمَالِ فَوَجَدَ الْجَارِيَةَ الَّتِي اشْتَرَاهَا بِالدَّرَاهِمِ هِيَ ابْنَتُهُ قَالَ لَيْسَ لَهُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ إِلَّا الدَّرَاهِمَ وَ لَيْسَ لَهُ الِابْنَةُ إِنَّمَا لَهُ رَأْسُ مَالِهِ إِنَّمَا كَانَتِ ابْنَتُهُ مَمْلُوكَةَ قَوْمٍ‌[3].

I asked Abu Abdullah (as) about a man who found some money, announced it for a year, and then used it to buy a servant. Later, the owner of the money came and found that the servant purchased with the money was actually his daughter. Imam (as) said: "He is only entitled to take the money and not the daughter. What he i

مَا لِلْمَمْلُوكِ وَ اللُّقَطَةِ الْمَمْلُوكُ لَا يَمْلِكُ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ شَيْئاً فَلَا يَعْرِضُ لَهَا الْمَمْلُوكُ فَإِنَّهُ يَنْبَغِي لِلْحُرِّ[4] أَنْ يُعَرِّفَهَا سَنَةً فِي مَجْمَعٍ فَإِنْ جَاءَ طَالِبُهَا دَفَعَهَا إِلَيْهِ وَ إِلَّا كَانَتْ مِنْ مَالِهِ فَإِنْ مَاتَ كَانَتْ مِيرَاثاً لِوُلْدِهِ وَ لِمَنْ وَرِثَهُ فَإِنْ جَاءَ طَالِبُهَا بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ دَفَعُوهَا إِلَيْهِ‌[5].

Hadith.4054 - Abu Khadijah Salim ibn Mukram al-Jammal narrated from Abu Abdullah (as) that Dharih asked him about a servant who picks up lost property. Imam (as) said: "What does a servant have to do with lost property? A servant does not own anything for himself, so he should not interfere with it. It is proper for a

لَا يَمَسَّهُ‌[2].

Hadith.4055 - Dawud ibn Abi Yazid asked him about finding a water container, a pair of sandals, or a whip on the road, whether a person may use them. Imam (as) said: "He should not touch them."

قَالَ ع‌[3] لَا بَأْسَ بِلُقَطَةِ الْعَصَا وَ الشِّظَاظِ وَ الْوَتِدِ[4] وَ الْحَبْلِ وَ الْعِقَالِ وَ أَشْبَاهِهِ.

Hadith.4056 - Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in picking up lost items such as a staff, a strap, a peg, a rope, a hobble, and similar things."

لِلسَّائِلِ هِيَ لَكَ أَوْ لِأَخِيكَ أَوْ لِلذِّئْبِ قَالَ وَ مَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَمَسَّهَا وَ عَنِ الْبَعِيرِ الضَّالِّ أَيْضاً قَالَ مَا لَكَ وَ لَهُ‌[6] بَطْنُهُ وِعَاؤُهُ وَ خُفُّهُ حِذَاؤُهُ وَ كَرِشُهُ سِقَاؤُهُ خَلِّ عَنْهُ.

Hadith.4057 - Imam (as) was asked about a lost sheep in the wilderness. Imam (as) said to the questioner: "It is either yours, your brother's, or the wolf's." Then Imam (as) said: "I do not like to touch it." And when asked about a lost camel, Imam (as) said: "What do you have to do with it? Its belly is its container,

سَأَلَ رَجُلٌ أَبَا عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ عَنِ اَللُّقَطَةِ وَ أَنَا أَسْمَعُ فَقَالَ "تُعَرِّفُهَا سَنَةً فَإِنْ وَجَدْتَ صَاحِبَهَا وَ إِلاَّ فَأَنْتَ أَحَقُّ بِهَا".

A man asked Abu Abdullah (as) about lost property while I was listening. Imam (as) said: "Announce it for one year. If you find its owner, return it to him; otherwise, you are more entitled to keep it."

إِنْ تَرَكَهَا فِي كَلَإٍ وَ مَاءٍ وَ أَمْنٍ فَهِيَ لَهُ يَأْخُذُهَا حَيْثُ أَصَابَهَا وَ إِنْ تَرَكَهَا فِي خَوْفٍ وَ غَيْرِ مَاءٍ وَ لَا كَلَإٍ فَهِيَ لِمَنْ أَصَابَهَا[1].

Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) ruled regarding a man who abandoned his animal due to hardship. Imam (as) said: "If he left it in a place with grass, water, and safety, it remains his, and he may reclaim it wherever he finds it. But if he left it in a place with danger, without water or grass, then it belongs to whoever fi

لَا بَأْسَ.

I asked Imam (as) about the reward for returning a runaway slave or lost property. Imam (as) said: "There is no harm in it."

كَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع يَقُولُ‌ فِي الضَّالَّةِ يَجِدُهَا الرَّجُلُ فَيَنْوِي أَنْ يَأْخُذَ لَهَا جُعْلًا فَتَنْفُقُ قَالَ هُوَ ضَامِنٌ لَهَا[3] فَإِنْ لَمْ يَنْوِ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ لَهَا جُعْلًا فَنَفَقَتْ فَلَا ضَمَانَ عَلَيْهِ.

Commander of the Faithful (as) used to say regarding lost property found by someone who intends to take a reward for returning it, but it dies (or perishes): "He is liable for it. However, if he did not intend to take a reward and it dies (or perishes), then he is not liable for it."

سَأَلْتُهُ ع[4] فِي كِتَابٍ عَنْ رَجُلٍ اشْتَرَى جَزُوراً أَوْ بَقَرَةً أَوْ شَاةً أَوْ غَيْرَهَا لِلْأَضَاحِيِّ أَوْ غَيْرِهَا فَلَمَّا ذَبَحَهَا وَجَدَ فِي جَوْفِهَا صُرَّةً فِيهَا دَرَاهِمُ أَوْ دَنَانِيرُ أَوْ جَوَاهِرُ أَوْ غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْمَنَافِعِ لِمَنْ يَكُونُ ذَلِكَ وَ كَيْفَ يَعْمَلُ بِهِ فَوَقَّعَ ع عَرِّفْهَا الْبَائِعَ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَعْرِفْهَا فَالشَّيْءُ لَكَ رَزَقَكَ اللَّهُ إِيَّاهُ.

لَهُ رَجُلٌ إِنِّي قَدْ أَصَبْتُ مَالًا وَ إِنِّي قَدْ خِفْتُ فِيهِ عَلَى نَفْسِي فَلَوْ أَصَبْتُ صَاحِبَهُ دَفَعْتُهُ إِلَيْهِ وَ تَخَلَّصْتُ مِنْهُ قَالَ لَهُ فَوَ اللَّهِ لَوْ أَصَبْتَهُ كُنْتَ تَدْفَعُ إِلَيْهِ قَالَ إِي وَ اللَّهِ‌ قَالَ ع فَلَا وَ اللَّهِ مَا لَهُ صَاحِبٌ غَيْرِي قَالَ وَ اسْتَحْلَفَهُ أَنْ يَدْفَعَ إِلَى مَنْ يَأْمُرُهُ قَالَ فَحَلَفَ قَالَ اذْهَبْ فَاقْسِمْهُ فِي إِخْوَانِكَ وَ لَكَ الْأَمَان

A man said to Imam (as): "I have come across some wealth, and I fear for my safety because of it. If I were to find its owner, I would return it to him and be free from it." Imam (as) said to him, "By Allah (swt), if you were to find its owner, would you truly return it to him?" The man replied: "Yes, by Allah (swt)."

أَفْضَلُ مَا يَسْتَعْمِلُهُ الْإِنْسَانُ فِي اللُّقَطَةِ إِذَا وَجَدَهَا أَلَّا يَأْخُذَهَا وَ لَا يَتَعَرَّضَ لَهَا فَلَوْ أَنَّ النَّاسَ تَرَكُوا مَا يَجِدُونَهُ لَجَاءَ صَاحِبُهُ فَأَخَذَهُ[2]. وَ إِنْ كَانَتِ اللُّقَطَةُ دُونَ دِرْهَمٍ فَهِيَ لَكَ لَا تُعَرِّفْهَا[3] وَ إِنْ وَجَدْتَ فِي الْحَرَمِ دِينَاراً مُطَلَّساً فَهُوَ لَكَ لَا تُعَرِّفْهُ[4] وَ إِنْ وَجَدْتَ طَعَاماً فِي مَفَازَةٍ فَقَوِّمْهُ عَلَى نَفْسِك