Muwatta Malik, Book 36, Hadith 48 (USC-MSA) ⓘ

Malik related to me from Nafi that a man found something and went to Abdullah ibn Umar and said to him, "I have found something. What do you think I should do about it?" Abdullah ibn Umar said to him, "Publicise it!" He said, "I have done so." He said, "Do it again." He said, "I have done so." Abdullah said, "I do not order you to use it. If you wished, you could have left it."

وَحَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، وَجَدَ لُقَطَةً فَجَاءَ إِلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ فَقَالَ لَهُ إِنِّي وَجَدْتُ لُقَطَةً فَمَاذَا تَرَى فِيهَا فَقَالَ لَهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ عَرِّفْهَا ‏.‏ قَالَ قَدْ فَعَلْتُ ‏.‏ قَالَ زِدْ ‏.‏ قَالَ قَدْ فَعَلْتُ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ لاَ آمُرُكَ أَنْ تَأْكُلَهَا وَلَوْ شِئْتَ لَمْ تَأْخُذْهَا ‏.‏

Yahya said that he heard Malik say, "What is done in our community about a slave who finds something and uses it before the term which is set for finds has been reached, and that is a year, is that it is against his person. Either his master gives the price of what his slave has used, or he surrenders his slave to them as compensation. If he withheld it until the term was reached which is set for finds and he used it, it is a debt against him which follows him and it is not against his person and there is nothing against his master in it."