the three Imams—Abu Hanifah, Malik, and Ahmad according to the well-known view in his school. It has likewise been related from Ibn ʿUmar, Ibn ʿAbbas, ʿAʾishah, and Ibn al-Musayyab. They argue from the general hadiths that permit the collection of lost property.

Imam al-Shafiʿi, on the other hand, held that it is impermissible to take such property for the purpose of announcing it and thereafter taking ownership of it; rather, one may take it only to safeguard it permanently. This opinion is also one narration from Imam Ahmad, adopted among the Hanbalis by al-Harithi, Shaykh Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyyah, the author of al-Fāʾiq, and others. Their evidence is the wording found in the two Ṣaḥīḥs in which the Prophet ﷺ said, “Its lost property is not lawful except for one who will announce it.” Abū ʿUbayd states in his book al-Amwāl that “the announcer (al-munshid) is the one who makes it known.”

They consider this ruling to be unique to Mecca because of its sanctity and inviolability, and this opinion is the sounder view.

Praise be to Allah, the boundaries between the ḥaram and the surrounding area (ḥill) were delineated this year, 1421 AH, and preparations by the Saudi government—may Allah Most High grant it success—are ongoing to encircle the interface between ḥill and ḥaram with conspicuous markers on every side, so that the rulings of the sanctuary may be distinguished from those of the surrounding land. Allah has blessed me to be among those who helped with the demarcation, and, God willing, I will also assist in supervising the placement of the markers alongside the engineers and technicians. Allah is the One who grants success.