Topic: Announcement and Identification of Lost Property (Luqaṭah) in or Near a Mosque
✦ Question:
At times, cash or other personal belongings are found near some mosques — often in areas like the restroom vicinity or surrounding premises.
Is it permissible to advertise these lost items inside the mosque, or should it only be outside?
✦ Answer:
Whoever finds a lost item should not announce it inside the mosque. Instead:
✔ The announcement should be made outside the mosque only —
✔ By saying something like: “If someone has lost money, gold, or valuables near the mosque, they may inquire…”
✔ Or by posting a written notice outside the mosque, never inside it.
📘 Reference:
Shaykh Ibn Bāz – Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā wa al-Maqālāt 19/433
✦ Key Guidelines
✔ Mosques are places of worship, not venues for worldly announcements.
✔ Lost-and-found notifications must be discreet and respectful to the sanctity of the mosque.
✔ Use the surrounding area for any signage or verbal identification.
