Hiring out a cow

Question

Question: Is it permissible to hire out a milking cow or buffalo? The money for its milk is paid in a lump sum; grass and the like are the responsibility of the hirer; indeed, for as long as it gives milk, the cow or buffalo stays with the hirer and is then returned to the owner. Is this arrangement permissible or not?

Answer

It is impermissible. [ar]لا تجوز إجارة الشجر على أن الثمر للمستأجر، وكذلك لو استأجر بقرةً أو شاةً ليكون اللبن أو الولد له، كذا في محيط السرخسي[/ar] “Leasing a tree on condition that the fruit belongs to the lessee is not permissible; likewise if one hires a cow or a sheep so that the milk or the offspring will be his. So it is in al-Muhit of al-Sarakhsi” (‘Alamgiri, vol. 4, p.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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