One year and a half ago, I lost

Q: I am a nomadic Bedouin, and in 1402 A.H., roughly, I was (Part No. 15; Page No. 471) grazing my sheep in the Dhabh Valley, near the city of Al-Rubu‘ah. When I returned to the Al-‘Atf Valley in Tihamah, I found a goat among my sheep, but I never went back to the Dhabh Valley to announce it. Since then it has been raised with my sheep, without its owner knowing where it is, and it has now produced three goats. Therefore, I would like to submit this question to Dar Al-Ifta’ (the House of Fatwa), to Shaykh Ibn Baz (may Allah protect him), for him to give me Fatwa (legal opinion issued by a qualified Muslim scholar) on this matter. May Allah protect you. And Allah knows best.

A: You have to calculate the value of this goat along with what it has reproduced and give it as Sadaqah (voluntary charity) on behalf of its owner, because you did not announce it when you found it among your sheep. If its owner comes, he can choose either to take it, along with what it has reproduced, or he can relinquish it and accept the Sadaqah that was paid on his behalf. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.