Al-Muqaddimāt al-Mumahhidāt - Ibn Rush al-Jadd - (2/483)

Al-Muqaddimāt al-MumahhidātIbn Rush al-Jadd

and, if he wishes, he may expressly include this in his oath, swearing by Allah, besides whom there is no god, that it belongs to him and that the other claimant has no right to it. He need not add, “nor does anyone else.”

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Among the evidence supporting the handing over of lost property to its owner on the basis of a description are the words of Allah, Exalted and Glorious:

“And a witness from her family testified: If his shirt is torn from the front, then she has told the truth, and he is of the liars.” [Joseph: 26] “But if his shirt is torn from behind, then she has lied, and he is of the truthful.” [Joseph: 27]

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The person claiming the lost property must describe its container, the cord tying it, and what they enclose: the characteristics and number of the dinars. This is stated in the hadith transmitted by Yahyā ibn Saʿīd through his chain of transmission, with the additional wording: “If the person seeking it comes and describes its container, the cord tying it, and its number, hand it over to him.” An additional wording transmitted by a narrator of sound retention is accepted.

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If the person claiming the lost property describes some of it but does not know, or is mistaken about, the rest, there are disagreements and distinctions to consider. If he does not know the number, this does not prejudice his claim, provided that he knows the container and the cord tying it. Likewise, if he mistakenly gives a higher number, this does not prejudice his claim, since some of it may have been stolen. There are two opinions concerning the case in which he mistakenly gives a lower number but knows the container and the cord tying it. There is also disagreement concerning the case in which he does not know the characteristics of the dinars but knows the container and the cord tying it.

If, however, he is mistaken about the characteristics of the dinars, I know of no disagreement that he is entitled to nothing. As for the container and the cord tying it, if he describes one but does not know, or is mistaken about, the other, there are three opinions:

The first is that he is entitled to nothing unless he knows both.

The second is that his claim should be investigated; if no one comes forward with stronger evidence than he has provided, it is handed over to him.

وإن شاء زاد ذلك في يمينه، فيحلف بالله الذي لا إله إلا هو أنها له، وما لصاحبه فيها حق، ولا يحتاج أن يقول ولا لغيره. فصل ومما يعتبر به في دفع اللقطة إلى صاحبها بالصفة قول الله ﷿: ﴿وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا إِنْ كَانَ قَمِيصُهُ قُدَّ مِنْ قُبُلٍ فَصَدَقَتْ وَهُوَ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ﴾ [يوسف: ٢٦] ﴿وَإِنْ كَانَ قَمِيصُهُ قُدَّ مِنْ دُبُرٍ فَكَذَبَتْ وَهُوَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ﴾ [يوسف: ٢٧]. فصل ويصف مدعي اللقطة العفاص والوكاء وما اشتملا عليها وأحاطا به من صفة الدنانير وعددها، وذلك موجود في الحديث، رواه يحيى بن سعيد بإسناده وزاد فيه فإن جاء باغيها ووصف عفاصها ووكاءها وعددها فادفعها إليه والزيادة من الحافظ مقبولة. فصل فإن وصف مدعي اللقطة بعضا وجهل بعضا، أو غلط فيه، ففي ذلك اختلاف وتفصيل؛ فأما جهله بالعدد، فلا يضره إذا عرف العفاص والوكاء وكذلك غلطه فيه بالزيادة لا يضره، لجواز أن يكون قد اغتيل في شيء منها واختلف في غلطه فيه بالنقصان إذا عرف العفاص والوكاء على قولين وكذلك اختلف أيضا إذا جهل صفة الدنانير، وعرف العفاص والوكاء. وأما إذا غلط في صفة الدنانير، فلا أعلم خلافا أنه لا شيء له؛ وأما العفاص والوكاء إذا وصف أحدهما وجهل الآخر، أو غلط فيه، ففي ذلك ثلاثة أقوال: أحدها: أنه لا شيء له إلا بمعرفتهما جميعا. والثاني: أنه يستبرأ أمره، فإن لم يأت أحد فأثبت مما أتى به دفعت إليه.