Fatwa #3035225 August 2014United Kingdom
What to do with the items if one cannot find the owner?
Question
If a person is working in a public place and he finds a bag of food items (fish,fruits etc) and the compnay policy is that it has to be chucked in the bin if the day if no one comes to claim it. What can the person working do with the bag?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The ideal situation is that if possible, the bag of food items be returned to its rightful owner. In the event of that not being possible, and there is fear of the food bag fermenting, the bag maybe disposed of as is the company policy. It may be an idea to advise the company to give the bag of food to beggars or homeless people. A notice to that effect may be placed in the public place.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Saleem Khan
Student Darul Iftaa
Bradford, UK
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.