Chapter

The Book of Lost and Found Items

كتاب اللقطة

Arabic Text

حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ السَّرْحِ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي مَالِكٌ، بِإِسْنَادِهِ وَمَعْنَاهُ زَادَ ‏"‏ سِقَاؤُهَا تَرِدُ الْمَاءَ وَتَأْكُلُ الشَّجَرَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَلَمْ يَقُلْ ‏"‏ خُذْهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فِي ضَالَّةِ الشَّاءِ وَقَالَ فِي اللُّقَطَةِ ‏"‏ عَرِّفْهَا سَنَةً فَإِنْ جَاءَ صَاحِبُهَا وَإِلاَّ فَشَأْنَكَ بِهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرِ ‏"‏ اسْتَنْفِقْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ رَوَاهُ الثَّوْرِيُّ وَسُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ بِلاَلٍ وَحَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ رَبِيعَةَ مِثْلَهُ لَمْ يَقُولُوا ‏"‏ خُذْهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏

English Translation

The above mentioned tradition has also been transmitted by Malik through a different chain of narrators to the same effect. This version adds:

They have their stomachs: They can go down to water and eat trees. He did not say about the stray sheep: take it. About a find he said : Make it known for a year; if it’s owner comes, (give it to him), otherwise use it yourself. This version has not the word : “ spend it”. Abu Dawud said : This tradition has been narrated by al-Thawri, Sulaiman bin Bilal, and Hammad bin Salamah on the authority of Rabi ‘ ah in a similar manner. They did not mention the word “take it”.