The ruling on buying Products of unknown Owners and Products that are mixed with lawful and forbidden Things
Question :
A person says, "There are some products that enter the public auctions due to the fact that their owners cannot be found. For example, they may land at the port without anyone coming to claim their cargo or they arrive with incomplete information. Likewise, it could be that when they land at the port they are put in a storage container that is not the correct storage container that they should put in, or other reasons that make it difficult to find their owner. So, is buying these products lawful or forbidden?"
Answer:
If the matter is like what has been mentioned, in that the owners of these products are unknown due to some reason, so they are then put up for auction and it is difficult to find out who they originally belonged to, it is permissible to buy them. The person who is responsible for making sure the price of the merchandise reaches its owner is the person who is in charge of selling it or who orders it to be sold. This is because in leaving the items unsold is harmful to their owners and a waist of wealth.
Question :
If we are unable to distinguish between seized merchandise due to the owner's lack of ability to pay the customs and duties, and merchandise that enters the auction due to the difficulty in finding its owner, then buying the items in the auction is permissible or not?
Answer:
Whoever is troubled with the mixing of these items and he cannot distinguish between the lawful of it and the forbidden of it, it is permissible for him to buy from it due to the lack of ability to specify what is forbidden. Indeed the Prophet used to buy from the Jews and the disbelievers in general, and he used to accept their gifts even though he knew that the lawful and forbidden of these items was mixed.
May Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and his Companions.
Source:
The Permanent Committee
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 4 Pages 436-437
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