Islamic Fiqh > Zakat > Livestock zakat: camels, cattle and sheep
Livestock zakat's thresholds and scales, its grazing and year conditions, and the collection limits fixed by the Prophet.
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Updated on 06 October 2026 at 10:50 PM
Zakat on freely grazing livestock rests on the letter Abu Bakr wrote to Bilal heading to Bahrain, reported by Anas: « This is the ordinance of the charity that the Messenger of Allah prescribed for the Muslims, and that Allah commanded His Messenger... » (al-Bukhari 1386, Abu Dawud 1567, an-Nasa'i), and on the Prophet's letter (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) kept by Ibn Umar and applied by the caliphs (Abu Dawud 1568, at-Tirmidhi 621, authentic hadith).
Added to threshold and year are 2 conditions: established ownership, and grazing: the animal feeds on the pasture for most of the year. The majority (Hanafis, Shafiites, Hanbalis) exclude the hand-fed animal, the costs of feeding cancelling growth; Malikis impose zakat even on the fed animal, its upkeep being only added enjoyment. If the fed animal is prepared for trade, it falls back under trade zakat.
Consensus covers the grid up to one 100 and 20: from 5 to 9 camels, one sheep; 10 to 14, 2; 15 to 19, 3; 20 to 24, 4; 25 to 35, a she-camel of one year; 36 to 45, a she-camel of 2 years; 46 to 60, a she-camel of 3 years; 61 to 75, a she-camel of 4 years; 76 to 90, 2 she-camels of 2 years; 91 to one 100 and 20, 2 she-camels of 3 years. Beyond:
Abu Hanifa restarts the series in blocks of 5 sheep then one 3-year she-camel per 50; al-Shafii and Ahmad in the dominant narration follow Abu Bakr's letter: « if it exceeds one 100 and 20, for every 40 a 2-year she-camel, for every 50 a 3-year she-camel », a single animal changing the amount (al-Bukhari 1386); Ahmad and Malik in another narration wait for the full 10, and Malik in the dominant line leaves the collector the choice between 3 2-year or 2 3-year she-camels. At 25 livestock begins; at 4 nothing is due save the owner's generosity. Substitution is tolerated: in place of a 2-year she-camel, a 3-year one with 20 dirhams or 2 sheep is accepted, and never an old or defective beast.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent me to Yemen and ordered me to take from every 30 bullocks a bull or a heifer, and from every 40 a 2-year-old cow.
Abu Dawud 1576, at-Tirmidhi 623, Ibn Majah 1803, an-Nasa'i 2450
The 4 imams agree on 30 as the first threshold with a bull or heifer, then 40 with a 2-year-old cow. Malik, al-Shafii and Ahmad: nothing until 60, which carry 2 bullocks; 70, one bullock and one cow; 80, 2 cows; 90, 3 bullocks; one 100, 2 bullocks and one cow; the series changes every 10. Three narrations from
Abu Hanifa, one with a quarter of a cow on the surplus, and his 2 companions on the majority grid.
Abu Bakr's letter fixes the series: from 40 to 120 sheep, one sheep; from 121 to 200, 2; from 201 to 300, 3; beyond 300, one sheep per 100. Thirty-9 sheep: nothing, « unless their Lord wills » through generosity. The sheep given must be 2 years old; the goat is not its equivalent by the text.
Horses, mules and donkeys carry no zakat of their own, the Prophet having exempted « the horse and the servant » (al-Bukhari 1461, Muslim 980); prepared for trade they follow trade zakat in every school, assessed by value; a hadith fixing one dinar per grazing mare is judged fabricated (ad-Daraqutni).