The Ruling on Property Found in a Mosque

Question

A minor girl found, in the courtyard of a mosque, the sum of 31 rupees wrapped in a nylon pouch. In the same courtyard a religious scholar was giving children religious instruction; the girl handed this pouch over to the scholar, and the scholar gave it to the muezzin so that he would make an announcement after every prayer. More than four or five months have passed, and to this day no owner of this pouch has come. So what should be done with this sum according to the Shariʿa?

Answer

If the announcement has been made to such an extent that there is no longer any hope of finding the owner, they should give it to a poor person who is eligible for zakat.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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