camels, they adopted the written directive of al-Siddīq (may Allah be pleased with him) and those who followed him. It stipulates that, in large camel herds, a two-year-old she-camel is due for every forty camels and a three-year-old she-camel for every fifty. This was the later of the two instructions issued by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), unlike the written directive that prescribed beginning the obligatory scale anew after one hundred and twenty, for that directive preceded this one. Amr ibn Hazm’s appointment over Najrān took place some time before the Prophet’s death. As for al-Siddīq’s written directive, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote it but did not issue it to his officials; it was not issued until Abū Bakr did so.

[Tithable Produce]

They also adopted a middle course regarding tithable produce, between the scholars of the Hijaz and those of Iraq.

The Iraqi scholars, such as Abū Hanīfa, require the tithe on everything the land produces—except reeds and the like—whether little or much. This is based on the view that the tithe is a due imposed upon the land, like kharāj (land tax). They therefore do not impose both the tithe and land tax together.

The scholars of the Hijaz, however, require the tithe only when the prescribed threshold of five wasqs is reached; Abū Yūsuf and Muhammad agreed with them on this. They require it on no fruits other than dates and raisins, and on field crops only when they are staple foods. They do not require it on honey or anything else. Al-Shāfiī follows the position of the scholars of the Hijaz.

Ahmad and other hadith jurists agree with the scholars of the Hijaz concerning the prescribed threshold, because authentic reports from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) establish that “no zakat is due on less than five wasqs.” They do not require zakat on vegetables, as evidenced by the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) and his caliphs’ practice of not levying it, as well as the report transmitted from him. They do, however, require it on grains and fruits that