When There Is No Way to Deliver a Due to Its Rightful Owner

Question

I used to live in a neighbourhood. A milkman used to come there who came from a village; he supplied milk to the whole neighbourhood, and he was a non-Muslim. When I left that neighbourhood, some of his rupees were owing from me. So I told a man of the neighbourhood, a landowner: “Settle my account with him, and whatever number of rupees he says, take it from me.” When he came to the neighbourhood, he told him; he replied: “Our account with him is settled; he owes us no money.

Answer

However much of this milkman’s money you reckon is owed by you, give that money to the gentleman to whom he comes from time to time to deliver milk, so that whenever he comes he may give it to him, however long one has to wait for that.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.