Finding the Owner of Lost Property

Question

A question about the conditions under which one should search for the owner of found property and what to do if the owner cannot be found. [AR_ID:2850]

Answer 1

Peace be upon you.

Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Khamenei (may Allah protect him):

In general, if the value of the found item is less than a dirham, it is permissible to keep it. If its value is a dirham or more, and it does not have any identifying marks for the owner, it is obligatory to give it as charity on behalf of the owner. If it has identifying marks, one must announce it and search for the owner for a year. If the owner is found, it should be returned to them; otherwise, it can be kept with the intention of returning it to the owner if they are found later, or it can be kept as a trust without liability. It is recommended to give it as charity to the poor on behalf of the owner in this case. A legal dirham is approximately equivalent to 2.5 grams of silver, and anything that is recognized as silver suffices.

Source: Special Inquiry: 1, 2.

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Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Sistani (may Allah protect him):

If the found property does not have any identifying marks that a claimant can use to describe it, such as individual coins or most manufactured goods in circulation today, the finder may keep it even if its value is a dirham or more. However, it is recommended to give it as charity on behalf of the owner.

If the found item has identifying marks, there are two scenarios:

1. If its value is less than a dirham: It is not obligatory to announce it or search for the owner, but it is not permissible to keep it, and it is obligatory to give it as charity on behalf of the owner.

2. If its value is a dirham or more: It is obligatory to announce it and search for the owner for a full year. If the owner is not found and the item is outside the sacred precinct, the finder has two options:

First - to keep it for the owner, even by making a will, as long as they do not despair of returning it to them - in this case, they may benefit from it while preserving its original form.

Second - to give it as charity on behalf of the owner, and it is obligatory not to keep it.

To convert dirhams to grams of silver:

To calculate dirhams in grams of silver, you should perform the following calculations:

First - every ten dirhams equals five and a quarter mithqals. Thus, 10 dirhams = 5.25 mithqals, which means one dirham equals:

1 dirham = 0.525 mithqals.

The mithqal is equivalent to 4.64 grams of silver, so one dirham equals:

1 dirham = 4.64 * 0.525 = 2.436 grams of silver, which is commonly referred to as approximately two and a half grams of silver.

You should inquire about the value of two and a half grams of silver.
Anything that is recognized as silver suffices.

Source: Minhaj al-Salihin, Vol. 2, Issues 767 to 770 + Official Website + Office of His Eminence Sayyid Sistani.

May you be successful in all good.