Lost property

Sayyiduna al-Jarud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I said: "O Messenger of Allah!" - (the narrator is unsure) or a man said: "O Messenger of Allah! What if we find a lost item?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Announce it, do not conceal it, and do not keep it hidden. If you find its owner, hand it over to him; otherwise, it is wealth that Allah Almighty gives to whomever He wills."

In another narration, also from Sayyiduna al-Jarud (may Allah be pleased with him), these are the words: he narrates: Once we were travelling with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and riding animals were few. Meanwhile the people mentioned the riding animals, so I said: "O Messenger of Allah! The situation we face regarding the animals is known to you." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What would suffice us?" I said: "When we come to al-Jurf, we will find some camels; if we were to benefit from their backs (that is, use them for riding, that would be appropriate)." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No! The lost property of a Muslim is a flame of fire; do not go near it at all. The lost property of a Muslim is a flame of fire; do not go near it at all." After this the narrator mentioned the complete hadith.
Ahmad recorded it, and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, with various chains, the narrators of some of which are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about a found item, and he said: "It is to be announced; it is not to be kept hidden, nor concealed. If its owner comes, well and good; otherwise, it is the wealth of Allah, which He gives to whomever He wills."
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Ismah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The lost property of a Muslim is a flame of fire." He said this three times.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains a narrator, Ahmad bin Rashid, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about a stray sheep, and he said: "It is either for you, or for your brother, or for the wolf." He was asked about a stray camel, and he said: "What have you to do with it? Its belly is with it and its feet are with it; leave it as it is until its owner finds it."
Al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A found item is not lawful. Whoever picks up such a thing must announce it. If its owner comes, he must hand it over to him; and if its owner does not come, he must give it in charity. Then, if its owner comes, he must give that owner the choice between the reward and having the thing returned to him."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Saghir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains a narrator, Yusuf bin Khalid al-Samti, who is kadhdhab (a liar).

Abu Wa'il Shaqiq bin Salamah narrates: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) bought a slave girl from a man for six hundred, or perhaps seven hundred, dirhams. Then he kept announcing for a year, but he did not find that owner. Then he took the slave girl out to al-Shiddah and gave it in charity, one or two dirhams at a time, on behalf of its owner, (saying that) if its owner came, he would give him the choice: if he chose the reward, he would have it, and if he chose the wealth, he would receive the wealth. Then Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "This is how you should deal with a found item!" (It is mentioned in this way in the printed Arabic text as well, but perhaps the copyist or scribe made an error, because the report is not complete and coherent.)
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, and its chain contains a narrator, Amir bin Shaqiq, whom Ibn Hibban and al-Nasa'i (may Allah have mercy on him) declared thiqah (trustworthy), while Yahya bin Ma'in and others declared him da'if (weak).

Uqbah bin Suwayd reports the following statement of his father: I asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about a (stray) sheep, and he said: "It will be found either by you, or by one of your brothers, or by the wolf." I asked him about a (stray) camel, and he became angry - whenever he became angry, it would be known from the redness of his cheeks. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What have you to do with it? Its belly and its feet are with it; it will go to the water and reach the pasture. Leave it alone until its owner comes." I asked him about finding a lost item, and he said: "After identifying it, tie up its mouth and its bag. If its owner comes, hand it over to him; otherwise, you may make use of it."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. The narrator Uqbah bin Suwayd is mastur (of unestablished status), and no one has declared him weak; the remaining narrators of this report are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abu Tha'labah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him (something), and he said: "A small matter." I said: "O Messenger of Allah! Is this matter a good one or an evil one?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No! Rather, it is a good one." I said: "O Messenger of Allah! I set out on a journey with my uncle, and he came to need shoes. He said to me: 'Lend me your shoes.' I said: 'I will lend them to you on the condition that you marry your daughter to me.' He said: 'I have married her to you.' When we reached home, he sent my shoes back to me and said: 'There is no wife for you with us.'" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is no good for you in her (that woman)." I said: "O Prophet of Allah! In the Jahiliyyah I vowed that I would sacrifice my camel to my idol." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Fulfil your vow, but do not disobey your Lord." Then he said: "There is no fulfilment of a vow concerning disobedience, nor concerning cutting off the ties of kinship, nor concerning something a person does not own." I said: "O Messenger of Allah! Silver that is found near an inhabited village or on a public road?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Announce it for one year. If its owner comes, hand it over to him; otherwise, take count of its tie, its bag and its amount, and then make use of it." I said: "O Prophet of Allah! What if a sheep is found in a barren wilderness?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Eat it, for it will be found either by you, or by one of your brothers, or by the wolf." I said: "O Prophet of Allah! A she-camel or a camel is found in a barren wilderness, carrying a water skin and other goods." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Leave it as it is; you have nothing to do with it." After this the narrator mentioned the complete hadith, part of which is reported in the "Sunan".
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains a narrator, Abu Farwah Yazid bin Sinan, whom Abu Hatim and others declared thiqah (trustworthy), while a group declared him da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whenever any writing falls on the ground, Allah Almighty sends angels to it, who cover it with their wings and keep it pure, until Allah Almighty sends to it one of His friends (awliya'), who lifts it up from the ground. And whoever lifts up a writing that contains one of the names of Allah Almighty, Allah Almighty raises his name in 'Illiyyin and lightens the punishment of his parents, even if his parents are disbelievers."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Saghir; its chain contains a narrator, al-Husayn bin Abd al-Ghaffar, who is matruk (abandoned).

Sayyiduna Ya'la bin Murrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever picks up a minor lost item, such as a dirham, a rope or something similar, must announce it for three days; and if it is something more than that, he must announce it for six days."
Ahmad recorded it through Amr bin Abdullah bin Ya'la. If he is Amr, then I do not know him, and if he is Umar, then he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Ya'la bin Murrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Whoever finds a minor lost item, such as a garment or something similar, must announce it for three days; and whoever finds a lost item of greater value than that must announce it for six days. If its owner comes, well and good; otherwise, he must give it in charity. Then, if its owner comes, he must give him the choice."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains a narrator, Umar bin Abdullah bin Ya'la, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) found a dinar in the market. He came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Announce it for three days." The narrator says: Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) announced it for three days, but he did not find anyone who could identify it. He returned to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him about it, and he said: "Make use of it." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sold it, and from it he bought barley for three dirhams and dates for three dirhams, paid off a debt of three dirhams, bought meat for one dirham, and bought olive oil for one dirham. In those days a dinar was worth eleven dirhams. After that, the owner of the dinar came and described its identifying marks. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allah ordered me (so I spent it)." The owner of the dinar went to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned this to him, and he said to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): "Return it." He said: "I have already spent it." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the man: "When something comes to us, we will pay you."
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and Abu Ya'la recorded something similar; Abu Dawud recorded it briefly, without this context. Its chain contains a narrator, Abu Bakr bin Abi Sabrah, who is a wadda' (fabricator of reports).

Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: We went out with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) found two dates. He took one date and gave the other to me.
Al-Bazzar and Abu Ya'la recorded it, and the wording of their report is: I was walking along with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) found a "thufruqah" (a cluster of dates from which the dates have been eaten and a few remain) in which there were two dates. He took one date and gave me one. Its chain contains a narrator, Uthman bin Abd al-Rahman al-Tara'ifi, who is thiqah (trustworthy), though there is some weakness in him.

Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Sometimes I find a fallen date and I eat it."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and al-Bazzar recorded something similar. Al-Tabarani says: Muhammad bin al-Ala' al-Nabqi is alone in narrating it from al-Walid bin Ibrahim bin Abd al-Rahman bin Awf. I have not found anyone who has given the biographies of these two.