A man who picks up an abandoned child and spends on him

It is narrated from al-Miswar bin Zayd that a woman found a child. She raised him and spent on him until he grew into a young man. Then the woman demanded her expenses from the boy. A letter was written to Umar bin Abd al-Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) seeking the ruling on the boy. He replied that the woman should be made to swear an oath that she did not spend on the boy with the intention of earning reward. If she swears, the boy will be told to work to earn the expenses.

Amir (may Allah have mercy on him) said that if someone spends on a foundling (laqit, an abandoned child), nothing is owed (later) by that child.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: A found child is free. If the person who raised the child demands his expenses, then if the child (having grown up) is wealthy, he must pay them back to him, and if the child is not wealthy, what that person spent on him is charity.

Khalid bin Abi al-Salt (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Umar bin Abd al-Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) said to him: Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) ruled regarding a child born of fornication that he should settle the account with the one who raised him through the service he has rendered him, and for whatever remains he should work to pay it off.

And I ruled that he should settle the account through the service he has rendered, and whatever remained I paid on his behalf from the public treasury.