10/1. Chapter:
Sunan Abi Dawud 1707 — Mixing Found Property with Wealth
Finds
Hadith About Found Property and Returning It After Use
Sunan Abi Dawud : 1707
Sunan Abi DawudHadith Number 1707
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَفْصٍ، حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي، حَدَّثَنِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ طَهْمَانَ، عَنْ عَبَّادِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، يَزِيدَ مَوْلَى الْمُنْبَعِثِ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ الْجُهَنِيِّ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ سُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَ حَدِيثِ رَبِيعَةَ . قَالَ وَسُئِلَ عَنِ اللُّقَطَةِ فَقَالَ " تُعَرِّفُهَا حَوْلاً فَإِنْ جَاءَ صَاحِبُهَا دَفَعْتَهَا إِلَيْهِ وَإِلاَّ عَرَفْتَ وِكَاءَهَا وَعِفَاصَهَا ثُمَّ أَفِضْهَا فِي مَالِكَ فَإِنْ جَاءَ صَاحِبُهَا فَادْفَعْهَا إِلَيْهِ " .
Zaid bin Khalid Al-Juhani Narrated from:
The aforesaid tradition has also been transmitted by Zaid bin Khalid al-Juhani through a different chain of narrators. This version has: The Messenger of Allah (SWAS) was asked about a find. He replied : Make the matter known for a year; if its owner comes, give it to him, otherwise note its string and its container and have it along with your property. If its owner comes, deliver it to him.
Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 1707In-book reference : Book 10, Hadith 7English translation : Book 9, Hadith 1703
Summary of Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 1707
This hadith about found property explains that a person should announce a lost item for a year. If the owner comes, it must be handed over. If the owner does not come, the finder should know its string and container and may then place it with his own property. Yet this permission does not remove the owner’s right. The hadith ends by repeating that if the owner later comes, it should be delivered to him. This is a clear lesson in trust. Found property may enter someone’s use only after the proper steps. The finder should not hide it, ignore its signs, or forget the person who lost it. The hadith teaches care, patience, and readiness to return what belongs to another person.
What we learn from this hadith
- Found property should be announced for a full year.
- The finder should remember the item’s string and container.
- The item may be kept with one’s property after the required announcement.
- If the owner later comes, the item should still be returned.
