then the first ceases yielding while the second continues as before, and he works a third mine which yields before the second ceases, he would combine the yield of the second with that of the first and with that of the third, but would not combine the yield of the first with that of the third. If he works the first mine and it yields continuously, then works a second mine which yields for a time before ceasing and subsequently yielding again—or, when it ceases yielding, he works a third mine which yields while the first continues to yield uninterruptedly—he would combine the uninterrupted yield of the first mine with the yield of the second both before and after its interruption, or with the yield of the third. He would not combine the second mine’s yield before its interruption with its yield afterward, nor would he combine the yield of the second with that of the third obtained after the second ceased yielding.

All of this is the position of Muhammad ibn Maslama, and, in my view, it explains what is stated in al-Mudawwana. Mines are comparable to plots of land: just as a person combines the crop of one plot with that of another if he sowed it before harvesting the other, so too he combines the yield of one mine with that of another if it began yielding before the first ceased. This differs from Sahnūn’s position that the yields of separate mines are not combined, even if they continue yielding without interruption. Success comes from Allah.

Section

Gold and silver all constitute a single category, whether in bullion, coined, or fashioned form. They are combined for zakat according to the dirham standard of the earliest period, with each dinar reckoned as ten dirhams, rather than according to their value on the day zakat is paid. The exception is gold and silver fashioned into jewelry kept for wearing, or used to adorn a sword, a copy of the Quran, or a ring: no zakat is due on these.

Section

Assets that are combined for zakat because they serve similar purposes, and are therefore treated as a single category despite differences in their names, kinds, varieties, and quality, fall into three classes: those measured by volume, those measured by weight, and those counted individually.

Those measured by volume include wheat, barley, and hulless barley, which constitute a single category, or