Question Summary:
Zamzam & Luggage lost/mishandled at airport

Question Detail:

Aww To whom it may concern, After returning from Hajj at Manchester airport, we realised that our baggage had not arrived. We went to the information desk and after filling out a lost property form, we were assured that our luggage would be sent to our home. However the zam zam water would hve to be collected from the airport. At this point, an employee handed us one bottle of zam zam and after his colleague objected, he assured us that his manager had instructed him to give them out. Hence we took this bottle home but have not consumed it yet. This zamzam that was given to us had no box and was in a plastic sealed bag with no name or contact details. (Number 1) One week after receiving the luggage, we were informed by friends and family that Manchester airport would not contact us to ask us to come and collect the zam zam, but we would have to go to Manchester airport. They asked us for our lost property reference number and quoted us the right amount of zam zam bottles which were due to us. An employee came out with 4 boxes of zam zam and handed them over to us. After explaining to her that these were not ours because these had other names or nothing written on them and ours were distinctive due to how we had wrote our full names and address on all four sides including our contact details, she claimed that there was no difference between the contents of these four boxes and the four boxes we were asking about as they all contained zam zam water. I didn’t argue too much knowing she would not understand from which aspect I was coming from and therefore we brought these home. One box had a first name and the name of their city written on it. Another box had nothing written on it. One had a full name and contact number. One had a name only. I am sure that Manchester airport are treating all lost zam zam water in this years hajj season in the same manner. I am convinced that our four bottles are in the hands of somebody else. (Number 2) I feel as though this will carry on until hajj does not move out of the holiday season. I’m guessing a few more years from now. We would highly appreciate if the god fearing and knowledgeable muftiyaan e kiraam would let us know what we should do with the zam zam in (Number 1 and number 2). Just to note, my family who got into the uk before us ended up leaving one of their zam zam because they had waited two hours and it didn’t come. Jazakumullah

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Your concern for the issue in reference is an expression of your Imaan and Allah consciousness. May Allah grant you steadfastness in Deen. Aameen.

According to Shari’ah, one can only accept what belongs to him. One cannot accept something not belonging to him. It is not permissible to take somebody else’s item without his permission.

Accordingly, one cannot accept zamzam not belonging to oneself. That zamzam belongs to someone else. The lost and found department of the airport should be notified that the issue is about ownership of a specific item. The issue is not about the contents being the same. The department should be guided that it is incorrect to give unnamed zamzam to any claimant. The claimant is entitled to his specific zamzam. If the department present unnamed zamzam on somebody else’s zamzam, it is not permissible to accept such zamzam.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Mirza Mahmood Baig 

Student Darul Iftaa

Jeddah, KSA

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.