What to do with a customer’s unclaimed items

Nasihah (Advice): Honesty leads to Paradise

Sayyiduna Abdullah Ibn Masood radiyallahu anhu reported that Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “You must be truthful. Verily, truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. A man continues to be truthful and encourages honesty until he is recorded with Allah as truthful. And beware of falsehood. Verily, falsehood leads to wickedness and wickedness leads to the Hellfire. A man continues to tell lies and encourages falsehood until he is recorded with Allah as a liar.” [Sahih Bukhari]

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Question and Answer:

1. I run a shop, and occasionally customers forget to collect their parcels left at the counter. Often, they don’t return to claim them, likely because they have forgotten which shop they left them at. I store the parcels for months or even years in a storeroom, hoping they may eventually return, but most of the time, they don’t.

What should I do with the unclaimed items, which include shoes, socks, handkerchiefs, face towels, and the like? After a significant period without the items being claimed, can I donate them to needy people? I would appreciate your advice.

1. A. Efforts should be made to identify the owners of these parcels or a public notice should be displayed informing the public that parcels have been left at your establishment, hoping that the owners will come forward to collect their belongings.

If, after taking these steps, a significant period passes without the owner retrieving their items, you may donate the goods to charity, and you will not be held liable. However, should the owner return at a later date, they retain the right to:

1. a) Allow their possessions to be given in charity (Sadaqah), or
2. b) Claim compensation for the value of the items.

If the owner chooses to donate their items, they will be rewarded for this act of charity.

Conversely, if the owner opts to reclaim the value of their items, you will be required to reimburse them, while still receiving the reward for donating the items to charity. [Hindiyyah 2/289, Ahsanul Fatawa, 6/390]

And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best

Mufti Muhammed Hamza Farooqui

Mufti Taahir Hansa

(The answer hereby given is specifically based on the question asked and should be read together with the question asked. Islamic rulings on this Q&A newsletter are answered in accordance to the Hanafi Fiqh unless otherwise stated.) 

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