And the tax collector (musaddiq) takes from the middle quality (5). Similar reports are narrated from Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, and our Imam stated this and held this opinion. The hadiths also indicate this; Abu Dawud and al-Nasa'i (7) narrated with their isnads from Sa'r ibn Daysam (8), who said: 'I was with my sheep when two men came to me on a camel and said: "We are messengers of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to you, so that you may pay us the zakat of your sheep." I said: "What is due from me regarding them?" They said: "A ewe." I went to a ewe that I knew was full of milk and fat and brought it out to them. They said: "This is a shafi', and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has forbidden us from taking a shafi' ewe." The shafi' is the pregnant animal; it was named as such because its fetus has paired with it (shafa'aha), and the makhd is the milk.' Suwayd ibn Ghafala said: 'I traveled—or someone who traveled informed me—with the tax collector of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and it was in the covenant of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that we should not take a suckling animal.' He said: 'He would come to the watering places when the sheep arrived and say: "Perform the zakat of your wealth." He said: 'A man among them went to a kawma naqah—which is the one with the huge hump—and he (the collector) refused to accept it.' It was narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Nasa'i (11). Abu Dawud (12) also narrated with his isnad from the Prophet (ﷺ) that he...
(5) The report was narrated by al-Bayhaqi in: 'Chapter on not taking the choice wealth of people,' from the Book of Zakat. Al-Sunan al-Kubra 4/102. And by Abd al-Razzaq in: 'Chapter on what is counted and how zakat is taken,' from the Book of Zakat. Al-Musannaf 4/12, 13, 15. The report of al-Zuhri was narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah in: 'Chapter on the tax collector and what he does with sheep,' from the Book of Zakat. Al-Musannaf 3/135. (6) Omitted from the original. (7) Narrated by Abu Dawud in: 'Chapter on the zakat of grazing livestock,' from the Book of Zakat. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/364, 365. And al-Nasa'i in: 'Chapter on the owner giving the wealth without the choice of the tax collector,' from the Book of Zakat. Al-Mujtaba 5/23. It was also narrated by al-Bayhaqi in: 'Chapter on the tax collector not taking more than what is required...,' from the Book of Zakat. Al-Sunan al-Kubra 4/96. And by Imam Ahmad in: Al-Musnad 3/414, 415. (8) In the original and B: "Sa'd ibn Dusaym." In A and M: "Sa'd ibn Dulaym." See: 'Awn al-Ma'bud 2/15. (9) In M: "fa-akhrajaha." (10) In A and M: "nahana" (he forbade us). (11) Narrated by Abu Dawud in: 'Chapter on the zakat of grazing livestock,' from the Book of Zakat. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/364. And al-Nasa'i in: 'Chapter on combining the separated and separating the combined,' from the Book of Zakat. Al-Mujtaba 5/21. It was also narrated by al-Daraqutni in: 'Chapter on the explanation of the mixed partners and what came regarding zakat on mixed partners,' from the Book of Zakat. Sunan al-Daraqutni 2/104. And by al-Bayhaqi in: 'Chapter on not taking the choice wealth of people,' from the Book of Zakat. Al-Sunan al-Kubra 4/101. And by Imam Ahmad in: Al-Musnad 4/315. (12) Its verification was mentioned previously on page 43.
