Returning a Bull Bought from a Brahmin, and the Imamate of the One Who Returned It

Question

A certain person, a butcher, bought a bull belonging to a Brahmin that was being sold at the market. Now he wants to slaughter it for food; the Brahmin and the Muslim butcher are from the same village. Now the Brahmin wants to have it returned; [the butcher] does not return it, but some other person got the bull returned from the said butcher. Now those Brahmins even worship it, performing puja (Hindu ritual worship) to it, because it escaped being slaughtered.

Answer

Buying and selling bulls and the like with a Hindu is permissible. When [the deal] is disliked or runs contrary to some benefit (maslaha), returning [the purchase] is also correct. But returning it with the intention mentioned is bad; nevertheless, no defect arises in his imamate because of it. Performing puja is a Hindu act, and he is not responsible for it.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.