as he ate it; rather, he said to him, "If you had not come to get it, it would have come to you." (15) The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw a date and said, "Were it not that I fear it might be from the charity, I would have eaten it." (16) We do not know of any disagreement among the scholars regarding the permissibility of taking and benefiting from a small amount of a lost item (17). This has been reported from Umar, Ali, Ibn Umar, and Aisha, and it is the view of Ata, Jabir ibn Zayd, Tawus, al-Nakha'i, Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, Malik, al-Shafi'i, and the scholars of opinion (ashab al-ra'y). There is no definition of the "small amount" that is permissible from Ahmad or most of those whom we have mentioned. Malik and Abu Hanifah said: It is not obligatory to announce that for which a thief would not be punished by amputation, which is a quarter of a dinar according to Malik, and ten dirhams according to Abu Hanifah; because anything less than that is insignificant, so it is not mandatory to announce it, like a crust of bread or a date. The evidence that it is insignificant is the saying of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): "They used to not impose amputation for an insignificant thing." It was reported from Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he found a dinar and used it. (18) Al-Juzajani narrated from Salma bint Ka'b, who said: "I found a gold ring on the road to Makkah, and I asked Aisha about it, and she said: 'Enjoy it.'" (19) Abu Dawud reported (20) with his chain of narration from Jabir, who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) granted us a concession regarding a stick, a whip, and a rope, and similar things, for a man to find and benefit from." The value of a rope may reach several dirhams. From Ibn Majah (21) with his chain of narration from Suwayd ibn Ghafala, who said: "I went out with Salman ibn Rabi'ah and Zayd ibn Suhan, until when we were at al-Udhayb, I picked up
(15) We did not find it in the books of Hadith currently in our possession. (16) Its authentication (takhrij) was mentioned previously in 4/116. (17) Omitted from M. (18) Reported by Abu Dawud, in: Book of Lost Property (al-Luqata). Sunan Abi Dawud 1/398. (19) Reported by Ibn Abi Shaybah, in: Chapter on what to do with lost property, from the Book of Sales and Judicial Rulings. al-Musannaf 6/461. (20) In: Book of Lost Property. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/399. It was also reported by al-Bayhaqi, in: Chapter on what was reported regarding a small amount of lost property, from the Book of Lost Property. al-Sunan al-Kubra 6/195. (21) In: Chapter on Lost Property, from the Book of Lost Property. Sunan Ibn Majah 2/837. It was also reported by al-Tirmidhi, in: Chapter on what was reported regarding lost property and stray camels and sheep, from the Chapters on Judicial Rulings. Aridat al-Ahwadhi 6/141.
حيثُ أكَلَها، بل قال له: "لَوْ لَمْ تَأْتِهَا لأَتَتْكَ" (١٥). ورَأَى النبيُّ -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- تَمْرَةً فقال: "لَوْلَا أنِّى أخْشَى أنْ تَكُونَ مِنَ الصَّدَقَةِ، لَأَكَلتُها" (١٦). ولا نَعْلَمُ خِلَافًا بين أهْلِ العِلْمِ في إبَاحَةِ أخْذِ اليَسِيرِ والانْتِفَاعِ به (١٧)، وقد رُوِى ذلك عن عمرَ، وعلىٍّ، وابن عمرَ، وعائِشَةَ، وبه قال عَطَاءٌ، وجابِرُ بن زَيْدٍ، وطاوُسٌ، والنَّخَعِيُّ، ويحيَى بن أبي كثِيرٍ، ومالِكٌ، والشافِعِيُّ، وأصْحابُ الرَّأْىِ. وليس عن أحمدَ وأكْثَرَ مَنْ ذَكَرْنا تَحْدِيدُ اليَسِيرِ الذي يُبَاحُ. وقال مالِكٌ، وأبو حنيفةَ: لا يَجِبُ تَعْرِيفُ ما لا يُقْطَعُ به السَّارِقُ، وهو رُبْعُ دِينَارٍ عندَ مالِكٍ، وعَشْرَةُ دَرَاهِمَ عند أبي حنيفةَ؛ لأنَّ ما دون ذلك تافِهٌ، فلا يَجِبُ تَعرِيفُه، كالكِسْرَةِ والتَّمْرَةِ، والدَّلِيلُ على أنَّه تافِهٌ قولُ عائِشَةَ، رَضِىَ اللَّه عنها: كانوا لا يَقْطَعُونَ في الشىءِ التّافِهِ. ورُوِى عن علىٍّ، رَضِىَ اللهُ عنه، أنَّه وَجَدَ دِينَارًا فتَصَرَّفَ فيه (١٨). ورَوَى الْجُوزَجَانِيُّ، عن سَلْمَى بنت كَعبٍ، قالت: وَجَدْتُ خاتَمًا من ذَهَبٍ، في طَرِيقِ مَكَّةَ، فسَأَلْتُ عائِشَةَ عنه، فقالت: تَمتَّعِى به (١٩). ورَوَى أبو دَاوُدَ (٢٠)، بإسْنادِه عن جابِرٍ، قال: رَخَّصَ لنا رسولُ اللَّه -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم- في العَصَا والسَّوْطِ والحَبْلِ وأشْبَاهِه، يَلْتَقِطه الرجُلُ يَنْتَفِعُ به. والحَبْلُ قد يكون قِيمَتُه دَرَاهِمَ. وعن ابن ماجَه (٢١) بإسْنادِه، عن سُوَيْدِ بن غَفَلَةَ، قال: خَرَجْتُ مع سَلْمَانَ بنِ رَبِيعَةَ، وزَيْدِ بنِ صُوحَانَ، حتى إذا كُنَّا بالعُذَيْبِ، الْتَقَطْتُ
(١٥) لم نجده فيما بين أيدينا من كتب الحديث.(١٦) تقدم تخريجه في: ٤/ ١١٦.(١٧) سقط من: م.(١٨) أخرجه أبو داود، في: كتاب اللقطة. سنن أبي داود ١/ ٣٩٨.(١٩) أخرجه ابن أبي شيبة، في: باب في اللقطة ما يصنع بها، من كتاب البيوع والأقضية. المصنف ٦/ ٤٦١.(٢٠) في: كتاب اللقطة. سنن أبي داود ١/ ٣٩٩.كما أخرجه البيهقي، في: باب ما جاء في قليل اللقطة، من كتاب اللقطة. السنن الكبرى ٦/ ١٩٥.(٢١) في: باب اللقطة، من كتاب اللقطة. سنن ابن ماجه ٢/ ٨٣٧.كما أخرجه الترمذي، في: باب ما جاء في اللقطة وضالة الإبل والغنم، من أبواب الأحكام. عارضة الأحوذى ٦/ ١٤١.
