31/1. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1723a — The Duty to Announce Found Items
Picking up property lost by a pilgrim
Luqatah Hadith: What to Do With a Found Money Bag
Sahih Muslim : 1723a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1723a
وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، ح وَحَدَّثَنِي أَبُو بَكْرِ، بْنُ نَافِعٍ - وَاللَّفْظُ لَهُ - حَدَّثَنَا غُنْدَرٌ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ سَلَمَةَ بْنِ كُهَيْلٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ سُوَيْدَ، بْنَ غَفَلَةَ قَالَ خَرَجْتُ أَنَا وَزَيْدُ بْنُ صُوحَانَ، وَسَلْمَانُ بْنُ رَبِيعَةَ، غَازِينَ فَوَجَدْتُ سَوْطًا فَأَخَذْتُهُ فَقَالاَ لِي دَعْهُ . فَقُلْتُ لاَ وَلَكِنِّي أُعَرِّفُهُ فَإِنْ جَاءَ صَاحِبُهُ وَإِلاَّ اسْتَمْتَعْتُ بِهِ . قَالَ فَأَبَيْتُ عَلَيْهِمَا فَلَمَّا رَجَعْنَا مِنْ غَزَاتِنَا قُضِيَ لِي أَنِّي حَجَجْتُ فَأَتَيْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ فَلَقِيتُ أُبَىَّ بْنَ كَعْبٍ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ بِشَأْنِ السَّوْطِ وَبِقَوْلِهِمَا فَقَالَ إِنِّي وَجَدْتُ صُرَّةً فِيهَا مِائَةُ دِينَارٍ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَتَيْتُ بِهَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ " عَرِّفْهَا حَوْلاً " . قَالَ فَعَرَّفْتُهَا فَلَمْ أَجِدْ مَنْ يَعْرِفُهَا ثُمَّ أَتَيْتُهُ . فَقَالَ " عَرِّفْهَا حَوْلاً " . فَعَرَّفْتُهَا فَلَمْ أَجِدْ مَنْ يَعْرِفُهَا ثُمَّ أَتَيْتُهُ . فَقَالَ " عَرِّفْهَا حَوْلاً " . فَعَرَّفْتُهَا فَلَمْ أَجِدْ مَنْ يَعْرِفُهَا . فَقَالَ " احْفَظْ عَدَدَهَا وَوِعَاءَهَا وَوِكَاءَهَا فَإِنْ جَاءَ صَاحِبُهَا وَإِلاَّ فَاسْتَمْتِعْ بِهَا " . فَاسْتَمْتَعْتُ بِهَا . فَلَقِيتُهُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ بِمَكَّةَ فَقَالَ لاَ أَدْرِي بِثَلاَثَةِ أَحْوَالٍ أَوْ حَوْلٍ وَاحِدٍ .
Suwaid bin Ghafalah Narrated from:
I went out, and also Zaid b. Suhan and Salman b. Rabi'a for Jihad, and I found a whip and took it up. They said to me: Leave it. I said: No. but I will make announcement of it and if its owner comes (then I will return that), otherwise I will use it, and I refused them. When we returned from Jihad. by a good fortune for me, I performed Pilgrimage. I came to Medina and met Ubayy b. Ka'b, and related to him the affair of the whip and their opinion (the opinion of Zaid b. Suhan and Salman b. Rabi'a) about it (i. e. I should throw it).Thereupon he said: I found a money bag during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) which contained one hundred dinars. I came to him along with it, and he said: Make an announcement of it for one year; so I announced it, but did not find anyone who could (claim it after) recognising it.I again came to him and he said: Make announcement for one year. So I made announcement of it, but I found none who could recognise it. I came to him he said: Make announcement of it for one year. I made announcement of that but did not find one who could recognise it, whereupon he said: Preserve (in your mind) its number, its bag and its strap, and if its owner comes (then return that to him), otherwise make use of it. So I made use of that.I (Shu'ba) met him (Salama b. Kuhail) after this in Mecca, and he said: I do not know whether he said three years or one year.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1723aIn-book reference : Book 31, Hadith 8USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 18, Hadith 4279
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1723a
Core topic: Lost Property. This narration explains the same idea through the story of a whip and a money bag. Sowaid found a whip and wanted to announce it rather than throw it away. Ubayy b. Ka'b then mentioned that he had found a money bag containing one hundred dinars during the lifetime of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. He was told to announce it, and after not finding anyone who recognized it, he was told to preserve its number, bag, and strap. Only then could he make use of it. This hadith about lost property shows that Islam does not treat found money lightly. The owner’s right remains important even when the item has been in someone else’s hand for a long time.
What we learn from this hadith
- A found item should not be treated carelessly.
- Public announcement gives the owner a fair chance to claim it.
- Important details like number, bag, and strap should be remembered.
- Benefit from the item came only after the owner was not found.
