Follow-up to a questioner who says: He bought camels more than a year ago to benefit from drinking their milk and selling the males. They have a shepherd who tends them for a monthly salary, and he spends on their feed.

The Shaykh : When the lunar year (hawl) is completed, [zakah] is due on their value in dirhams, and their zakah is paid out in dirhams, even if it is only one camel. However, if a person keeps them for breeding and milk, there is no zakah on them unless they are grazing freely. Free-grazing camels are those that graze on what is permitted, meaning they graze on what Allah has caused to grow, for the entire year or most of it. If he spends on their feed, there is no zakah on them, even if they number in the hundreds. Based on this, the camels kept by farmers for breeding and milk are not subject to zakah, because farmers feed them. Zakah is not obligatory on this type of livestock unless they graze for the entire year or most of it.

The questioner : But he says he sells the males, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Selling the males is not considered trade, because we know that the fruits in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), on which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made zakah obligatory, were sold by their owners, or they sold what they did not need from them.