9/5. Chapter:
Sunan Abi Dawud 1581 — Fair Zakat on Livestock
Zakat On Pasturing Animals
Hadith About Fair Zakat Collection on Livestock
Sunan Abi Dawud : 1581
Sunan Abi DawudHadith Number 1581
حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، عَنْ زَكَرِيَّا بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ الْمَكِّيِّ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ الْجُمَحِيِّ، عَنْ مُسْلِمِ بْنِ ثَفِنَةَ الْيَشْكُرِيِّ، - قَالَ الْحَسَنُ رَوْحٌ يَقُولُ مُسْلِمُ بْنُ شُعْبَةَ - قَالَ اسْتَعْمَلَ نَافِعُ بْنُ عَلْقَمَةَ أَبِي عَلَى عِرَافَةِ قَوْمِهِ فَأَمَرَهُ أَنْ يُصَدِّقَهُمْ قَالَ فَبَعَثَنِي أَبِي فِي طَائِفَةٍ مِنْهُمْ فَأَتَيْتُ شَيْخًا كَبِيرًا يُقَالُ لَهُ سَعْرُ بْنُ دَيْسَمٍ فَقُلْتُ إِنَّ أَبِي بَعَثَنِي إِلَيْكَ - يَعْنِي لأُصَدِّقَكَ - قَالَ ابْنَ أَخِي وَأَىَّ نَحْوٍ تَأْخُذُونَ قُلْتُ نَخْتَارُ حَتَّى إِنَّا نَتَبَيَّنُ ضُرُوعَ الْغَنَمِ . قَالَ ابْنَ أَخِي فَإِنِّي أُحَدِّثُكَ أَنِّي كُنْتُ فِي شِعْبٍ مِنْ هَذِهِ الشِّعَابِ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي غَنَمٍ لِي فَجَاءَنِي رَجُلاَنِ عَلَى بَعِيرٍ فَقَالاَ لِي إِنَّا رَسُولاَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِلَيْكَ لِتُؤَدِّيَ صَدَقَةَ غَنَمِكَ . فَقُلْتُ مَا عَلَىَّ فِيهَا فَقَالاَ شَاةٌ . فَأَعْمِدُ إِلَى شَاةٍ قَدْ عَرَفْتُ مَكَانَهَا مُمْتَلِئَةً مَحْضًا وَشَحْمًا فَأَخْرَجْتُهَا إِلَيْهِمَا . فَقَالاَ هَذِهِ شَاةُ الشَّافِعِ وَقَدْ نَهَانَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْ نَأْخُذَ شَافِعًا . قُلْتُ فَأَىَّ شَىْءٍ تَأْخُذَانِ قَالاَ عَنَاقًا جَذَعَةً أَوْ ثَنِيَّةً . قَالَ فَأَعْمِدُ إِلَى عَنَاقٍ مُعْتَاطٍ . وَالْمُعْتَاطُ الَّتِي لَمْ تَلِدْ وَلَدًا وَقَدْ حَانَ وِلاَدُهَا فَأَخْرَجْتُهَا إِلَيْهِمَا فَقَالاَ نَاوِلْنَاهَا . فَجَعَلاَهَا مَعَهُمَا عَلَى بَعِيرِهِمَا ثُمَّ انْطَلَقَا . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ رَوَاهُ أَبُو عَاصِمٍ عَنْ زَكَرِيَّاءَ قَالَ أَيْضًا مُسْلِمُ بْنُ شُعْبَةَ . كَمَا قَالَ رَوْحٌ .
Muslim ibn Shu'bah Narrated from:
Nafi' ibn Alqamah appointed my father as charge d'affaires of his tribe, and commanded him to collect sadaqah (zakat) from them. My father sent me to a group of them; so I came to an aged man called Sa'r ibn Disam I said: My father has sent me to you to collect zakat from you. He asked: What kind of animals will you take, my nephew? I replied: We shall select the sheep and examine their udders. He said: My nephew, I shall narrate a tradition to you.I lived on one of these steppes during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) along with my sheep. Two people riding a camel came to me. They said to me: We are messengers of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), sent to you so that you may pay the sadaqah (zakat) on your sheep. I asked: What is due from me for them? They said: One goat. I went to a goat which I knew was full of milk and fat, and I brought it to them. They said: This is a pregnant goat. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prohibited us to accept a pregnant goat.I asked: What will you take then? They said: A goat in its second year or a goat in its third year. I then went to a goat which had not given birth to any kid, but it was going to do so. I brought it to them. They said: Give it to us. They took it on the camel and went away.Abu Dawud said: Abu 'Asim transmitted this tradition from Zakariyya. He said: Muslim bin Shu'bah is a narrator in the chain of this tradition as reported by the narrator Rawh.
[1] It is explained in number 1582.[2] Jadh'ah is the animal that does not have any teeth growing in place of earlier teeth. For goats it refers to one that has lived for one year. Thaniyyah refers to the animal that is old enough to lose its front teeth, in the case of goats it refers to one that has lived for two years.Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 1581In-book reference : Book 9, Hadith 26English translation : Book 9, Hadith 1576
Summary of Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 1581
This Hadith teaches fairness in zakat collection, especially when taking zakat from sheep. The man first offered a goat that was full of milk and fat, but the messengers of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم refused it because it was pregnant. They said the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم had prohibited them from accepting such an animal. Instead, they asked for a goat in its second or third year. The clear message is that zakat collectors should not simply choose the best-looking animal or take what may harm the owner. Zakat on livestock should be handled with care, honesty, and balance. This Hadith about zakat collection shows that Islamic giving is not meant to be unfair to the giver.
What we learn from this hadith
- Zakat collectors should follow the limits they were given.
- Pregnant animals were not accepted in this report as zakat.
- Fairness matters when collecting zakat from livestock.
