Must the public notice for lost property be continuous?

General Chapter

Al-Mughni

Book of Lost-and-Found Property

Book 29 · Issue 2 · Bab 1

Open in Qurani

Primary text

The public notice for lost property must be continuous (mutawaliyah) immediately following the time of finding. This is mandated because the command to announce implies immediate action (al-fawr), and the purpose of the announcement is to reach the owner, which is best achieved by continuous notice directly after the loss, as the owner is typically expected to search immediately following the loss.