Question Summary:
Stray rabbit and its kits

Question Detail:

Assalaamu alaykum, i would like to know what I should do in the following situation: I had two pet male rabbits in my yard. a stray rabbit joined them and now the stray has had kits (baby rabbits). there is a lady down the road and a man in a different block who have rabbits in my area. should i ask them if the stray belongs to them or may i keep it? to whom do the kits belong? jazaakum Allah khayran for availing yourselves to answer the questions of the Muslims. wassalaam.

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh
 
In principle, if a stray animal is found, one should try his best to locate its owner.  Once its owner found, the stray rabbit in reference should be returned back to its respective owner. If the stray rabbit is a female, then the kits will belong to the owner of the stray rabbit as well. In this case, they should be given to the owner or they may be purchased by you from the owner at any mutually agreed price. [1]
 
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Ibn Jibran Kadarkhan
Student Darul Iftaa
Mauritius 
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
_____________________
 
[1]
وَفِي التَّنْوِيرِ مِحْضَنَةُ حَمَامٍ اخْتَلَطَ بِهَا أَهْلِيٌّ لِغَيْرِهِ لَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَهُ وَإِنْ أَخَذَهُ طَلَبَ صَاحِبَهُ لِيَرُدَّهُ عَلَيْهِ فَإِنْ فَرَّخَ عِنْدَهُ فَإِنْ كَانَتْ الْأُمُّ غَرِيبَةً لَا يَتَعَرَّضُ لِفَرْخِهَا وَإِنْ كَانَتْ الْأُمُّ لِصَاحِبِ الْمِحْضَنَةِ وَالْغَرِيبُ ذَكَرٌ فَالْفَرْخُ لَهُ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْ هَلْ يَلْزَمُ الْجَعْلُ أَوْ لَ(مجمع الانهر،1/706,دار احياء التراث العربي)
(محضنة) أي برج (حمام اختلط بها أهلي لغيره لا ينبغي له أن يأخذه، وإن أخذه طلب صاحبه ليرده عليه) لانه كاللقطة (فإن فرخ عنده، فإن) كانت (الام غريبة لا يتعرض لفرخها) لانه ملك الغير (وإن الام لصاحب المحضنة والغريب ذكر فالفرخ له) وإن لم يعلم أن ببرجه
غريبا لا شئ عليه إن شاء الله.
قلت: وإذا لم يملك الفرخ، فإن فقيرا أكله، وإن غنيا تصدق به ثم اشتراه، وهكذا كان يفعل الامام الحلواني ظهيرية(الدر المختار،1/356)
فتاوى محمودية ،22/578,فاروقى)