If a person finds something and another person says that it...

If a person finds something and another person says that it is his property and also mentions the marks of identification the former should give that thing to him if he is satisfied that it belongs to him. It is not necessary for the latter to mention the marks of which mostly even the owners do not take notice. 2587.

If the value of a thing which a person finds reaches one dirham and he does not make an announcement about it and leaves it in the masjid or at another place, where the people gather, and the thing perishes, or some other person picks it up, the person who found the thing is responsible. 2588.

If a person finds a thing which would decay if allowed to remain as it is, he should fix its price with the permission of the religious Head or his representative, and sell it and keep its sale proceeds with himself, and give the same as alms on behalf of the owner, if he is not found. 2589. If the thing found by somebody is with him at the time of performing ablutions and offering prayers there is undoubtedly no harm in it if his intention is to find out its owner (and to give it to him).

Otherwise, however, it falls under the category of usurped property. 2590. If the pair of shoes of a person is taken away and is replaced by another pair of shoes and the person who has lost his shoes knows that the pair of shoes which is now with him belongs to the person who has taken away his pair of shoes, and who is prepared to keep that pair of shoes in lieu of his pair of shoes which that person has taken away, he can keep that pair of shoes.

And the same order applies if he knows that he has taken away his pair of shoes unjustly and by way of oppression. In that case, however, it is necessary that the price of that pair of shoes should not exceed the price of his own pair of shoes, otherwise order of 'unknown ownership' will apply. And in cases other than these two the order of 'unknown ownership' applies to that pair of shoes. 2591. If a man has some property of 'unknown ownership' i.e.

its owner is not known and if the word 'lost' does not apply to it, it is necessary for him to make a search for its owner and give it as alms to the indigent persons when he loses all hope of finding the owner. And it is better that he should give it away as alms with the permission of the religious Head and if the owner of the property turns up afterwards the man is not responsible. Previous…