Announcing a Lost Item in the Mosque

Question

Question: A certain gentleman objects that announcing a lost item in the mosque is not correct according to the hadith. I studied the hadiths on this matter and everywhere found the word ḍālla (ضالة), for example: [ar]عن أبي هريرة قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ: من سمع رجلًا ينشد ضالة في المسجد فليقل: لا ردها الله عليك، فإن المساجد لم تبن لهذا. رواه مسلم[/ar] “Abu Hurayra ﵁ narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Whoever hears a man calling out for a stray (ḍālla)

Answer

[ar]قوله: وإنشاد ضالة: هي الشيء الضائع، وإنشادها السؤال عنها، في الحديث: إذا رأيتم من ينشد ضالة في المسجد فقولوا: لا ردها الله عليك[/ar] “His words ‘and calling out for a lost thing (inshad ḍālla)’: it is the lost thing, and its inshad is inquiring about it; in the hadith: ‘When you see someone calling out for a lost thing in the mosque, say: “May Allah not return it to you.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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