Ruling on a person found a wallet and divided the money between him and his friend


Question:

Around the year 1380 AH, I was walking with my friend in one of the streets of Riyadh when we came across a wallet which contained three hundred Riyals and four pounds. We divided the money between us: one hundred and fifty Riyals plus two pounds each. At that time, one pound equaled around forty Riyals. My question is: What should I do with that money so that I can clear myself of any sin? It is to be noted that I did not advertise this money publicly at that time. Please advise me. May Allah reward you with the best.

Answer:

You are duty bound to give an equal amount of money to the Fuqara’ (poor) in charity while having the intention to credit the reward to the rightful owner. You must also turn to Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) in repentance. You should have advertised the lost money for one whole year publicly.

May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.

  • 1 min read
  • Source(s): Fatawa Al-Lajnah Ad-Da'imah no. 14266-1
  • Mufti(s): Shaykh Abdul-Aziz ibn Baz , Shaykh Abdul-Razzaq al-Afify , Shaykh Abdullah ibn Ghudayyan
  • Luqatah