He Sold a Cow and it Returned to Him
Question :
A man said that he sold a cow to a man whom he did not know, then the cow bolted from the house of the buyer to his house, and since he did not know the buyer, he sold it (again) and consumed its price. He asks now what must he do in consequence?
Answer:
The ruling on this cow the questioner having disposed of it is that it is lost property. And since he mentions that he sold it and consumed its price, he must announce it in the markets and public meeting places for a year. If the owner turns up, he must inform him of what happened and give him the value of the cow he sold. If he does not come, he may give its value in charity with the intention of the reward being for its owner, in case he should become known and requests it and does not accept its having been given in charity.
Source:
The Permanent Committee
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 5 Page 26
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