What to Do If Someone Else’s Pigeon Comes to One’s House

Question

A pigeon came from outside into Zayd’s house and stayed, and remained for a long time. Zayd drove it away, but it flew off and again began living in his upper storey; so Zayd kept driving it away, and it would fly off and come back again. Now it has had two to four young ones, and the line of pigeons has begun to grow. In Zayd’s absence the children slaughtered and ate a few pigeons. Probably this pigeon belongs to some Hindu of the neighbourhood. So what should be done now?

Answer

If this pigeon is not wild but domesticated, and it is known that it belongs to such-and-such a person, then it should be returned to him. Further, if it is a female, then its young too will belong to the same owner: for the young that were slaughtered and eaten, their value, and the young that are present, should likewise be given to the owner, or else bought from him.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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