Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 10162 — Zakah on camels: what is due on them

Al-Sha'bi said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote to (the judge of) Yemen: "On five camels, one sheep is due as zakah; on ten camels, two sheep; on fifteen camels, three sheep; on twenty camels, four; and on twenty-five camels, five sheep. When one camel is added beyond twenty-five, a bint makhad is due up to thirty-five camels; and if he does not find a bint makhad to give in zakah, let him give a male ibn labun. When one camel is added beyond thirty-five, one bint labun up to forty-five; when one camel is added beyond forty-five, one hiqqah up to sixty; when one camel is added beyond sixty camels, one jadha'ah up to seventy-five camels; and when one is added beyond seventy-five, two bint labun are due. It is so up to ninety. When one camel is added beyond ninety, two hiqqahs up to one hundred and twenty. Then when the camels exceed even one hundred and twenty, on every fifty one hiqqah and on every forty one bint labun will be due. What is separate will not be combined and what is combined will not be separated. And in zakah neither a he-goat, nor a decrepit old animal, nor a defective animal will be taken." Al-Ajlah, the narrator, said: I asked Imam al-Sha'bi what is meant by 'What is separate will not be combined and what is combined will not be separated'? He said: A man has livestock; he should not separate them with the intention that (when the zakah threshold is not reached on) the separated portions, no zakah becomes due on them. Nor should what is separate be combined, that is, some people have livestock on which zakah is not due, so the musaddiq (zakah collector) should not gather them all together and collect zakah.