Zakah on camels: what is due on them

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had the rulings of zakah written down and kept them attached to his sword, or (the narrator is in doubt) with his will, and he did not bring it out until his soul was taken. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) departed from this world, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) acted upon it until al-Siddiq al-Akbar also departed from this world; then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) acted upon it. In it was written: On five camels, one sheep; on ten, two sheep; on fifteen, three sheep; on twenty, four sheep; on twenty-five camels, one bint makhad (a camel that has completed one year and is in its second) up to thirty-five; when they exceed thirty-five, one bint labun (a camel that has completed two years and is in its third) up to forty-five; when they exceed forty-five, one hiqqah up to sixty (a camel that has completed three years and is in its fourth); when they exceed sixty, a jadha'ah (a camel that has completed four years and is in its fifth) up to seventy-five; then when they exceed seventy-five, two bint labun up to ninety. Then when they exceed ninety, two hiqqahs up to one hundred and twenty; and when they exceed one hundred and twenty, on every fifty one hiqqah and on every forty one bint labun. What is separate will not be combined, and what is combined will not be separated (if livestock are separate and in several places, they will not be gathered into one place when zakah is taken or given, and if they are in one place, they will not be divided among several places and pastures. But according to Imam Abu Hanifah, a difference or plurality of place and pasture makes no difference to zakah; for him only a difference and plurality of ownership affects zakah, so the separating and combining in this hadith refers only to plurality and combination of ownership). And two partners will settle their account between themselves equally (that is, when two men are partners in some work, trade or the like, then when the zakah-collecting officer comes he will not wait for these partners to divide their property and then take zakah separately from each one's capital; rather, the officer will take the zakah that is due on the whole capital, and it is then the partners' task to divide the shares of the zakah due according to their accounts).

Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: On twenty-five camels, a bint makhad is due.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: On five camels, one sheep, up to nine. When one more is added beyond nine, two sheep up to fourteen; when one more is added to that, three sheep up to nineteen; when one more is added beyond nineteen, four sheep up to twenty-four; and when one more camel is added to that, five sheep. When one camel is added beyond twenty-five, a bint makhad, or a male ibn labun, which is one year older than it, must be given, up to thirty-five. When one camel is added beyond thirty-five, one bint labun is due up to forty-five. When one camel is added beyond forty-five, one hiqqah that is fit to be covered by the stallion is due up to sixty. When one camel is added beyond sixty, one jadha'ah is due up to seventy-five. When one is added beyond seventy-five, two bint labun are due up to ninety; and when one camel is added beyond ninety, two hiqqahs are due up to one hundred and twenty. And when the camels exceed even one hundred and twenty, then on every fifty camels one hiqqah. What is combined will not be separated, and what is separate will not be combined.

Nafi' said: It was found written in the will of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that on twenty-five camels, one bint makhad is due.

Al-Sha'bi said: On twenty-five camels, one bint makhad camel is due as zakah.

The same is also reported from Ibrahim (through Fudayl); they both (al-Sha'bi and Ibrahim) said: On twenty-five (camels), a bint makhad is due.

Bahz bin Hakim narrates from his father, from his grandfather, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When grazing camels reach forty, one bint labun is due on them as zakah. Camels will not be separated from their count. Whoever pays zakah seeking reward from Allah Almighty, for him is his reward. It is a firm decree from among the firm decrees of our Lord. Nothing of the zakah is lawful for the family of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)."

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "When the camels are many, then on every fifty one hiqqah and on every forty one bint labun."

Ibrahim said: On every twenty-five camels, one bint makhad is due as zakah.

Yahya bin Sa'id said: When Umar bin Abd al-Aziz sent them to collect zakah, he wrote them a letter. He wrote that on twenty-five camels, one bint makhad is due as zakah, and when they exceed that, one male ibn labun is due as zakah.

Hammad said: On twenty-five camels, one bint makhad is due as zakah.

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.