Chapter on Lost Property

Shaykh al-Islām—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked:

A man found a horse belonging to a Muslim in the possession of some Arabs and recovered it from them. The horse then became so ill that it could no longer walk. May the man who recovered it sell it on its owner’s behalf, or not?

He replied:

Praise be to Allah. Yes, this is permissible. Indeed, in these circumstances, the man who rescued it must sell it on its owner’s behalf, even if the owner has not authorized him to sell it. The imams have explicitly addressed this case and others like it. He must safeguard the proceeds. And Allah knows best.

He was also asked:

A man found a lost item in the middle of a wilderness and announced his find along the way until he reached his town. Is it lawful for him, or not?