Narrated Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): When Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sent me to (collect the Zakat from) al-Bahrayn, he wrote to me the following: “By the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. These are the orders for compulsory alms (Zakat) which Allah's Messenger ﷺ had made obligatory for every Muslim, and which Allah had ordered His Messenger to observe: Whoever amongst the Muslims is asked to pay Zakat accordingly, he should pay it (to the Zakat collector) and whoever is asked more than that (what is specified in this order) he should not pay it; for twenty-four camels or less, one ewe is to be paid as Zakat; for every five camels, one sheep is to be paid, and if there are between twenty-five to thirty-five camels, a one year old she-camel (Bint Makhaad) is to be paid; and if they are between thirty-six to forty-five (camels), one two-years old she-camel (Bint Laboon) is to be paid; and if they are between forty-six to sixty (camels), one three years old she-camel (Hiqqah) is to be paid; and if the number is between sixty-one to seventy-five (camels), one four-years old she-camel (Jadha’ah) is to be paid; and if the number is between seventy-six to ninety (camels), two she-camels aged 2 years (Bint Laboons) are to be paid; and if they are from ninety-one to one-hundred and twenty (camels), two three years old she-camel (Hiqqahs) are to be paid; and if they are over one-hundred and-twenty (camels), for every forty (over one-hundred-and-twenty) one two years she-came (Bint Laboon) is to be paid, and for every fifty camels (over one-hundred-and-twenty) one three years she-camel (Hiqqah) is to be paid; and whoever has got only four camels, has to pay nothing as Zakat, but if the owner of these four camels wants to give something, he can. If the number of camels increases to five, the owner has to pay one sheep as Zakat. As regards the Zakat for the (flock) of sheep; if they are between forty and one-hundred-and-twenty sheep, one sheep is to be paid; and if they are between one-hundred-and-twenty to two hundred (sheep), two sheep are to be paid; and if they are between two-hundred to three-hundred (sheep), three sheep are to be paid; and for over three-hundred sheep, for every extra hundred sheep, one sheep is to be paid as Zakat. And if somebody has got less than forty sheep, no Zakat is required, but if he wants to give, he can. For silver, the Zakat is one-fortieth of the lot (i.e. 2.5%), and if it is less than one-hundred Dirhams, Zakat is not required, but if the owner wants to pay, he can.'..
Commentary :
Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam that Allah has dictated upon those whose savings exceed the specified threshold. It is taken from the wealthy and given to the poor (i.e., all those who are eligible to receive it according to the Quran). Allah and His Messenger explained all the rulings and details pertaining to this obligatory act of worship to protect the wealthy ones from injustice and protect the rights of those who are in need.
In this hadeeth, Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote him a letter in which he explained the due zakat on livestock that Allah’s Messenger made compulsory upon Muslims. This letter was penned after Abu Bakr appointed Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) to collect the zakat from the people in al-Bahrayn, which is a region that includes, today, the kingdom of Bahrain as well as Al-Ihsaa and al-Qateef in the eastern parts of Saudi Arabia. The reason Aboo Bakr penned this letter to Anas (may Allah be pleased with them) is to use it as reference and consult to calculate the zakat [on livestock] and identify those who are obliged to pay it.
He started the letter with the Basmalah and then explained that the obligatory alms (zakat) are that which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ made obligatory for Muslims and which Allah has ordered His Messenger to collect from the Muslims whose savings exceed a set threshold. This prelude was necessary to clarify that the calculations mentioned afterwards in the letter are not of Aboo Bakr. He explained to Anas from whom he should take zakat and that if the zakat demanded, he should pay it, and whoever is demanded to pay more than the required zakat, then they are not obliged to pay that which is above the zakat, and they may decline the request. The calculation of zakat, according to this letter, is as follows:
Camels:(i) From 5 to 24, one ewe on every five camels;(ii) from 25 to 35, one she-camel that completed one year in age, or in its absence one, one she-camel that completed two years in age and has not yet completed three years in age and in this case the zakat collector should pay the zakat payer 20 dirhams or two sheep to compensate him for the difference. In the event where the zakat payer has no she-camel that completed two years in age and has not yet completed three years but has instead a male-camel who completed 2 years in age and did not complete 3 years in age as yet, the zakat collector should take it without taking anything else from the zakat payer, according to the report recorded in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree; (iii) from 36 to 45, the zakat is one she-camel that completed the age of two years i.e., this she-camel is called in Arabic Bint Laboon (lit. daughter of a milky camel) and the reason it is called as such is that its mother gave birth to more than one thus it started to have milk. As for the male-camel, he is referred to as Ibn Laboon;(iv) from 46 to 60, one she-camel that completed the age of three years and it is called in Arabic Hiqqah because by this age it can be mounted, carry luggage, and is capable of mating; (v) from 61 to 75, one she-camel that completed four years in age and it is called in Arabic Jadh’ah because of the falling of her milk teeth, (vi) from 76 to 90, two she-camels that completed the age of two years, (vii) from 91 to 120: two she-camels that completed the age of threeyears (viii) and over 120, the zakat is one she-camel that completed the age of three years on every forty camels and one three-year-old on every fifty camels i.e., for 121 to 129, three she-camels aged two years, and for 130 to 139, one she-camel aged three years and two she-camels aged two years, for 140 to 149, two she-camels aged three years and one she-camel aged two years, for 150-159, three she-camels aged three years, for 160 to 169, four she-camels aged two years, for 170 to 179, three she-camels aged two years and one she-camel aged three years, for 180-189, two she-camels aged two years and two she-camels aged three years, for 190-199, three she-camels aged three years and one she-camel aged two years, for 200 to 209, four she-camels aged three years or five she-camels aged two years, and so forth. The same calculation is used for whatever is more than 209, so as the zakat on each fifty camels will be one she-camel aged three years, and on each forty camels will be one she-camel aged two years.
The letter specifies the zakat due on camels if they are less than 24. If the number is less than five, there is no zakat due, and if the number is five, the zakat is only one sheep, and so forth until the number reaches 24 as explained above.
Sheep: Below 40 sheep, there is no zakat. From 40 to 120, one ewe, from 121 to 200, two ewes, from 200 to 300, three ewes and over 300, one ewe on every hundred sheep.
Zakat on livestock is only limited to animals that gaze for the most part of the year. As for the livestock that are foddered are not eligible for the zakat mentioned in the above calculations. They are subject to zakat according to the calculations made for property and merchandises. There is no zakat on sheep if they are less than forty heads except their owner wishes to pay zakat on them voluntarily.
Silver: Zakat is obligatory on silver, and it is given by paying 2.5 %, i.e., a quarter of a tenth, if it reaches the set threshold, which is about 295 grams [and one lunar year has passed over possessing it]. The threshold of silver is mentioned in the part of the letter where it reads: “For silver, the Zakat is one-fortieth of the lot (i.e., 2.5%), and if its value is less than two-hundred Dirhams, Zakat is not required, but if the owner wants to pay, he can.” The part where it says, “if it is less than one-hundred Dirhams, Zakat is not required,” may give the impression that if it is above 190 and less than 200 Dirhams, zakat is required. However, this is a wrong assumption, because 190 is specifically mentioned since the number is counted in tens, and 200 is the following count; thus, it was mentioned to indicate that no zakat is required if it is less than 200 Dirhams. This is supported by the hadeeth recorded in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim on the authority of Aboo Sa’eed al-Khudree (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: “There is no zakat to pay on less than five awaaq (plural of Uwqiyyah) of silver, but the owner wants to pay, he can.” And it is known that one Uwqiyyah equals forty Dirhams.
The intended meaning of the part “but the owner wants to pay, he can” is that the owner can voluntarily give away part of it as he is not required to do so, and in this case, it will be accepted and taken from him. This indicates that if the owner wants willingly and happily to give more and better than what he is required to pay, it will be accepted and taken from him.
From the benefits of this hadeeth are learning the zakat payable on camels, sheep, and silver, and that zakat on tangible property to be paid to the Imaam (i.e. ruler of Muslims).
The hadeeth shows that Islam is a religion that is well-structured and systemised in its rulings and obligations. It does not oppress or does injustice to anyone and does not transgress the rights of others.
It highlights the significance of zakat in Islam and the keen interest of the Prophet ﷺ to give a detailed account of its rulings, and it shows that zakat is not waived on the number of livestock that falls between each two thresholds..
Hadiths
