The ruling on the zakah of camels distributed as a gift to sons and women

The questioner : Yes. Some people distribute animals, such as camels and sheep, among their sons and daughters. A man might have four wives and a certain number of sons, and he gives one three camels and another four camels. All of them are owned by him, and each one has three, meaning the amount that reaches the threshold for zakah. If he needs something, he takes the zakah from them. But if the time for zakah arrives, he says, "I have nothing but a share."

The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah, meaning, at a time other than the time of zakah?

The questioner : And they own it in name; if he dies, they take it, and they take everything, but if he needs something, he takes it from them.

The Shaykh : The owner is one person now, the owner is one person, or is he not?

The questioner : They own it, but the owner is the father.

The Shaykh : What we understand now is that the owner is the father, so how is the zakah concluded?

The questioner : But they own it; in reality, they own it. If it comes, they own everything, meaning, if they take it from him.

The Shaykh : Meaning, it is a gift.

The questioner : Yes, he gives them a gift.

The Shaykh : If he gives them a gift and he gave each one four camels, then there is no zakah. Yes.

The questioner : And the women own from their relatives, not from him, from their relatives and their kin. They own camels and such, a certain number. Each one differs; one owns five, one owns four.

The Shaykh : That is, if she owns five, she has zakah on them if they are grazing freely, and the one who does not own five has no zakah on her.

The questioner : But now, this is if he needs to take from them.

The Shaykh : No, he does not wrong them; his children have the right to own from his wealth.

The questioner : I have an hour.

The Shaykh : No, a person does not err.