Giving a cow out for rearing

Question

Question: Here there is a custom that people buy a cow or the like and give it to be reared; another man raises and tends it, and when it is close to calving it is sold and divided half and half. Is this right or not?

Answer

This arrangement is not permissible. Having fixed the price of the cow — say, ten rupees — its half share should be sold for five rupees, and then those five rupees should be forgiven and not taken from the one rearing it, and he should go on raising it. In this case he will remain a partner in half: the milk, the calves and the cow itself will all be half and half.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.