2. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn abu Nasr from Dawud ibn Sarhan who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said that one who finds something of value must (continue to) announce his finding for one year. Thereafter it becomes like the rest of his property.” (Consult fatwa also)

3. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad and Ahmad ibn Muhammad from all from ibn Mahbub from Jamil ibn Salih who has said the following: “This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, about the case of a man who has found a dinar in his house. He (the Imam) asked, ‘Does anyone else enter his house?’ I (the narrator) replied, ‘Yes, many people enter his house.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘This is a case of lost and found property.’ I (the narrator) then asked about the case of a man who has found a dinar in his box. He (the Imam) asked, ‘Does anyone besides him enter his hand in his box?’ I (the narrator) replied, ‘No, no one else does so.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It then is for him.’”

4. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn abu ‘Umayr from Muhammad ibn abu Hamzah from certain persons of his people who has said the following: “This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, about lost property found. He (the Imam) said, ‘You must (continue to) announce your finding in public for one year, regardless of its quantity - whether small or a large quantity.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘If it is less than a dirham one does not need to make any announcements.’”

5. Ali has narrated from his father from ibn Mahbub al-‘ Ala’ ibn Razin from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following: “I once asked abu Ja‘far, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, about a house wherein certain leaves (coins of silver) are found. He (the Imam) replied, ‘If it is livable and the dwellers live therein, it belongs to them; but if it is not livable, whose inhabitants have abandoned it, then it is for the one who has found it.’”

6. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Hajjal from Tha’labah ibn Maymun from Sa‘id ibn ‘Amr al-Ju’fiy who has said the following: “I once left for Makkah and my financial condition was the worst among people. I mentioned to abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam. When I left his meeting at the door I found a bag with seven hundred dinar in it. I immediately returned to the Imam and informed him about it. He (the Imam) said, ‘Sa‘id, be pious before Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious. You must announce your finding in all the places (Mashahid) where people perform the acts of Hajj.’ I had a degree of hope about Imam’s permission for me to use some of that money. I then left and I was sad. I went to Mina and moved far from people, searched around and ended up to the places endowed for the benefit of people. I found a room away from people and then announced, ‘I have found a bag. Whoever has lost it must give proper description and collect it from me.’ As soon as I made the announcement a man stood over my head saying, ‘I am the owner of the bag/ I (the narrator) said to myself I wish you had not said it. I then asked, ‘What is the description of the bag?’ He gave me the exact description and I gave it to him.’ He moved to one side and counted them and found it to be the same amount. He then counted seventy dinars and said, ‘Take this lawful money; it is better than seven hundred unlawful dinars.’ I took them and visited abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, and informed him of the story in details. He (the Imam) said, ‘When you complained before me about your condition I ordered to keep aside thirty dinars for you. O girl, bring for him those dinars.’ I took them and was of the best financial condition in my people.’”

7. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn Ahmad from Musa ibn ‘Umar from al-Hajjal from Dawud ibn abu Yazid who has said the following: “Once a man said, ‘I have found a certain amount of property and because of it I am afraid for myself. I wish to find the owner to free myself of this difficulty. He (the narrator) has said, that abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, asked him, ‘Will you, by Allah, on finding the owner give it to him?’ He replied, ‘Yes, by Allah, I will do so.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘I am the one. By Allah, it has no owner besides me.’ He (the Imam) made him to take an oath to do with what he has found as he (the Imam) commands him to do. He took an oath and he (the Imam) commanded him to distribute it among his brothers, saying, ‘You will be safe from what you are afraid of.’ He has said, ‘I distributed it among my brothers.’” (Consult fatwa about this Hadith)

8. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from certain persons of our people from abu al-‘Ala’ who has said the following: “This is concerning my question before abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, ‘A man found a certain amount of goods and he announced about it in public for one year. He then bought a slave-girl. A man then claiming to be the owner came to him and found the slave-girl who was purchased with that money to be his daughter.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘He is entitled to take the dirhams but not the slave- girl. The money belongs to him but his daughter is the slave-girl of other people.’”

9. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from ‘Abd Allah ibn Ja’far who has said the following: “I once wrote to the man, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, and asked him about the case of a man who had bought camels or cows for sacrificial offering. When he slaughtered, he found a bag of dinar or diamond inside the animal. To whom this found property belong?’ He (the Imam), ‘Alayhi al-Salam, wrote back to me, ‘He must announce it before the seller and if he did not know about it, then whatever is found is what Allah has granted to him.’”

10. Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Ibrahim ibn Ishaq from ‘Abd Allah ibn Hammad from abu Basir who has said the following: “Abu Ja‘far, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘Whoever finds something it is for him to benefit thereby until the owner comes. He then must give it to the owner.” (Consult Fatwa also.)

11. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Hammad ibn Hariz from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following: “I asked abu Ja’far, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, about lost property found. He (the Imam) said, ’He must not pick it up, and if he did so, it becomes his responsibility to announce for it up to one year. If the owner did not come forward, it then becomes subject to what his other properties are until someone searching for it comes forward; and if no one came forward he must make a will about it.’”

12. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn abu ‘Umayr from Hisham ibn Salim , who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said that once someone came to the Holy Prophet, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, saying, ‘I have found a sheep.’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘It is for you or your brother or a wolf.’ He then said, T have found a camel.’ The Messenger of Allah asked, ’Does it have its shoes and water container? Nevertheless, take notice, its shoes are its feet and its water container is its hump. You must not bother the camel.’” (Consult fatwa also.)

13. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from and Sahl ibn Ziyad from ibn Mahbub from ‘ Abd Allah ibn Sinan who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘If one finds a certain amount of goods, or a camel in wilderness which has become tired has stopped walking and its owner has abandoned it; someone other than the owner then takes it, tends to it and incurs expenses to revive it from tiredness and death; it then is for him. He (the owner) has no reason to claim it. It then is like a lawful thing for him (the finder).”’

14. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad from his father from ‘Abd Allah ibn Mughirah from al-Sakuniy who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said that Amir al-Mu’minin, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, issued a judgment about the animal of a man who had abandoned it as follows: ‘If he has left it near water, and proper and safe pasture it is for him. He takes it wherever he finds it. If he has left it in an unsafe place, without water and pasture, it then is for the one who finds it.’”

15. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Hammad from Hariz who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘There is no offense in picking up a stick, pieces of wood used in the saddle of camels, stage, ropes, and harnesses and similar items. He (the Imam) then said, ‘Abu Ja’far, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said, “Such things are not wanted items.’”” (Consult fatwa also.)

16. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Muhammad ibn al-Hassan al-Shammun from al-Asamm from Misma’ who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said that Amir al-Mu’minin, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘If a horse is released by its owner or if he is not able to feed it or pay its expenses, it then is for one who revives it.’ He (the Imam) has said, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin, ‘Alayhi al-Salam, issued a judgment about the case of a man who had left his horse in an unsafe place. The judgment said, “If he has left it in a safe place with water and pasture, it is for him whenever he wants; but if he has left it in an unsafe place without water and pasture then it is for the one who has revived it.’””