We entered upon A’ishah, wife of the Prophet (ﷺ). She said The Apostle of Allaah (ﷺ) entered upon me and saw two silver rings in my hand. He asked What is this, Aishah? I said I have made two ornaments myself for you, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He asked Do you pay zakat on them? I said No or I said Whatever Allah willed. He said this is sufficient for you (to take you) to the Hell fire.

The aforesaid tradition has also been narrated by ‘Umar bin Ya’la through a different chain of narrators, like the tradition of ring. Sufyan, a narrator, was asked How do you pay zakat on it. He said You may combine it with other (ornaments).

I took a letter from Thumamah bin ‘Abd Allah bin Anas. He presumed that Abu Bakr had written it for Anas when he sent him (to Al Bahrain) as a collector of zakat. This (letter) was stamped with the stamp of the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) and was written by Abu Bakr for him(Anas). This letter goes “This is the obligatory sadaqah(zakat) which the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) imposed on Muslims which Allah commanded his Prophet(ﷺ) to impose. Those Muslims who are asked for the proper amount must give it, but those who are asked for more than that must not give it. For less than twenty five Camels a goat is to be given for every five Camels. When they reach twenty five to thirty five, a she Camel in her second year is to be given. If there is no she Camel in her second year, a male Camel in its third year is to be given. When they reach thirty six to forty five, a she Camel in her third year is to be given. When they reach forty six to sixty , a she Camel in her fourth year which is ready to be covered by a stallion is to be given. When they reach sixty one to seventy five, a she Camel in her fifth year is to be given. When they reach seventy six to ninety, two she Camel in their third year are to be given. When they reach ninety one to a hundred and twenty, two she Camels in their fourth year are ready to be covered by a stallion are to be given. When they exceed a hundred and twenty, a she Camel in her third year is to be given for every forty and a she Camel in her fourth year for every fifty(Camels). In case the ages of the Camel vary in the payment of obligatory sadaqah(zakat) If anyone whose Camels reach the number on which a she Camel in her fifth year is payable does not possess one but possess one in her fourth year, that will be accepted from him along with two goats if he can conveniently give them, or else twenty dirhams. If anyone whose Camels reach the number on which a she Camel in her fourth year is payable does not possess but possesses one in her fifth year, that will be accepted from him, and the collector must give him twenty dirhams or two goats. If anyone whose Camels reach the number on which a she Camel in her fourth year is payable possesses only one in her third year, that will be accepted from him.”

Abu Dawud said From here I could not retain accurately from Musa as I liked “And he must give along with it two goats if he can conveniently give them, or else twenty dirhams. If anyone whose Camels reach the number on which a she Camel in her third year is payable possesses only one in her fourth year, that will be accepted from him.”

Abu Dawud said (I was doubtful) up to here, and retained correctly onward “and the collector must give him twenty dirhams or two goats. If anyone whose Camels reach the number on which a she Camel in her third year is payable does not possess one but possesses one in her second year, that will be accepted from him, but he must give two goats or twenty dirhams. Anyone whose Camels reach the number on which a she Camel in her second year is payable does not possess one but possesses a male Camel in its third year, that will be accepted from him, and nothing extra will be demanded along with it. If anyone possesses only four Camels, no zakat will be payable on them unless their owner wishes. If the numbers of the pasturing goats reach forty to one hundred and twenty, one goat is to be given. Over one hundred and twenty up to two hundred, two goats are to be given. If they exceed two hundred reaching three hundred, three goats are to be given. If they exceed three hundred, a goat is to be for every hundred. An old sheep, one with a defect in the eye, or a male goat is not to be accepted as sadaqah (zakat) unless the collector wishes. Those which are in separate flocks are not to be brought together and those which are in one flock are not to be separated from fear of sadaqah(zakat). Regarding what belongs to two partners, they can make claims for restitution from one another with equity, If a man’s pasturing animals are less than forty, no sadaqah(zakat) is due on them unless their owner wishes. On sliver dirhams a fortieth is payable, but if there are only a hundred and ninety, nothing is payable unless their owner wishes.”

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) wrote a letter about sadaqah (zakat) but he died before he could send it to his governors. He had kept it with his sword. So AbuBakr acted upon it till he died, and then Umar acted upon it till he died.

It contained: For five camels one goat is to be given; for ten camels two goats are to be given; for fifteen camels three goats are to be given; for twenty camels four goats are to be given; for twenty-five to thirty-five camels a she-camel in her second year is to be given. If the number exceeds by one up to seventy camels, a she-camel in her fourth year is to be given; if they exceed by one up to seventy-five camels, a she-camel in her fifth year is to be given; if they exceed by one up to ninety camels, two she-camels in their third year are to be given; if they exceed by one up to one hundred and twenty, two she-camels in their fourth year are to be given. If the camels are more than this, a she-camel in her fourth year is to be given for every fifty camels, and a she-camel in her third year is to be given for every forty camels.

For forty to one hundred and twenty goats one goat is to be given; if they exceed by one up to two hundred, two goats are to be given. If they exceed by one up to three hundred, three goats are to be given; if the goats are more than this, one goat for every hundred goats is to be given. Nothing is payable until they reach one hundred. Those which are in one flock are not to be separated, and those which are in separate flocks are not be brought together from fear of sadaqah (zakat). Regarding that which belongs to two partners, they can make claims for restitution from each other with equity. An old goat and a defective one are not to be accepted as sadaqah (zakat).

Az-Zuhri said: When the collector comes, the goats will be apportioned into three flocks: one containing bad, the second good, and the third moderate. The collector will take zakat from the moderate. Az-Zuhri did not mention the cows (to be apportioned in three flocks).

Therefore said tradition has also been transmitted by Sufyan bin Husain through a different chain of narrators and to the same effect. This version adds “If there is no she Camel in her second year, a she Camel in her third year is to be given.” This does not mention the words of Al Zuhri.

Ibn Shihab (Al Zuhri) said This is the copy of the letter of the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ), which he had written about sadaqah(zakat). This was in the custody of the descendants of ‘Umar bin Al Khattab. Ibn Shihab said Salim bin Abdallah bin Umar read it to me and I memorized it properly. Umar bin Abdul Aziz got it copied from ‘Abdallah, ‘Abdallah bin Umar and Salim bin ‘Abdallah bin ‘Umar. He (Ibn Shihab) then narrated the tradition like the former(i.e., up to one hundred and twenty camels). He further said if they (the camels) reach one hundred and twenty one to one hundred and twenty nine, three she camels in their third year are to be given. When they reach one hundred and thirty to one hundred and thirty nine, two she camels in their third year and one she Camel in her fourth year are to be given. When they reach one hundred and forty to one hundred and forty nine, two she camels in their fourth year and one she Camel in her third year are to be given. When they reach one hundred and fifty to one hundred and fifty nine, three she camels in their fourth year are to be given. When they reach one hundred and sixty to one hundred and sixty nine four she camels in their fourth year are to be given. When they reach one hundred and seventy to one hundred and seventy nine, three she camels in their third year and one she Camel in her fourth year are to be given. When they reach one hundred and eighty to one hundred and eighty nine, two she camels in their fourth year and two she Camel in their third year are to be given. When they reach one hundred and ninety to one hundred and ninety nine, three she camels in their fourth year and one she Camel in her third year are to be given. When they reach two hundred, four she camels in their fourth year or five she Camels in their third year, camels of whichever age are available, are to be accepted.

For the pasturing goats, he narrated the tradition similar to that transmitted by Sufyan bin Husain. This version adds “An old goat, one with defect in the eye or a male goat is not to be accepted in sadaqah(zakat) unless the collector wishes.”

The statement of Umar bin Al Khattab “Those which are in separate flocks are not to be brought together and those which are in one flock are not to be separated” means Two persons had forty goats each ; when the collector came they brought them together in one flock so that only one goat could be given. The phrase “those which are in one flock are not to be separated” means If two partners possessed one hundred and one goats each, three goats were to be given by each of them. When the collector came they separated their goats. Thus only one goat was to be given by each of them. This is what I heard on this subject.

I think, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: Pay a fortieth. A dirham is payable on every forty, but you are not liable for payment until you have accumulated two hundred dirhams. When you have two hundred dirhams, five dirhams are payable, and that proportion is applicable to larger amounts.

Regarding sheep, for every forty sheep up to one hundred and twenty, one sheep is due. But if you possess only thirty-nine, nothing is payable on them. He further narrated the tradition about the sadaqah (zakat) on sheep like that of az-Zuhri.

Regarding cattle, a yearling bull calf is payable for every thirty, and a cow in her third year for forty, and nothing is payable on working animals.

Regarding (the zakat on) camels, he mentioned the rates that az-Zuhri mentioned in his tradition. He said: For twenty-five camels, five sheep are to be paid. If they exceed by one, a she-camel in her second year is to be given. If there is no she-camel in her second year, a male camel in its third year is to be given, up to thirty-five. If they exceed by one a she-camel in her third year is to be given, up to forty-five. If they exceed by one, a she-camel in her fourth year which is ready to be covered by a bull-camel is to be given. He then transmitted the rest of the tradition like that of az-Zuhri.

He continued: If they exceed by one, i.e. they are ninety-one to hundred and twenty, two she-camels in their fourth year, which are ready to be covered by a bull-camel, are to be given. If there are more camels than that, a she-camel in her fourth year is to be given for every fifty. Those which are in one flock are not to be separated, and those which are separate are not to be brought together. An old sheep, one with a defect in the eye, or a billy goat is not to be accepted as a sadaqah unless the collector is willing.

As regards agricultural produce, a tenth is payable on that which is watered by rivers or rain, and a twentieth on that which is watered by draught camels.

The version of Asim and al-Harith says: Sadaqah (zakat) is payable every year. Zuhayr said: I think he said Once a year.

The version of Asim has the words: If a she-camel in her second year is not available among the camels, nor is there a bull-camel in its third year, ten dirhams or two goats are to be given.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When you possess two hundred dirhams and one year passes on them, five dirhams are payable. Nothing is incumbent on you, that is, on gold, till it reaches twenty dinars. When you possess twenty dinars and one year passes on them, half a dinar is payable. Whatever exceeds, that will be reckoned properly.

(The narrator said: I do not remember whether the words that will be reckoned properly were uttered by All himself or he attributed them to the Prophet (ﷺ).

No zakat is payable on property till a year passes on it.

But Jarir said: Ibn Wahb (sub-narrator) added to this tradition from the Prophet (ﷺ): No zakat is payable on property until a year passes away on it.