And “there are three categories”: whatever is defined by the Sharia or by language is referred to its respective definition; whatever is defined by neither is referred to customary practice. Thus, Ahmad does not prescribe particular wording for contracts. Rather, his underlying principle in these matters resembles Mālik’s. Likewise, reasoning from the principles of his school entails that the obligatory amount of wheat for zakāt al-fitr should be half a sā'. His own statements also indicate this, as has been explained elsewhere, although the well-known position transmitted from him fixes the amount at one sā', as with dates and barley.

The scholars have differed over whether an accompaniment to bread is obligatory or recommended, holding two views. The correct view is that if a person feeds his family bread with an accompaniment, he should likewise provide the needy with an accompaniment. If he feeds his family bread without an accompaniment, he may not give the needy better food than his family; rather, he should feed them according to the average standard of what he feeds his family.

Accordingly, in some lands, the average amount eaten by their inhabitants is one mudd of wheat, as is reported concerning the people of Medina. When made into bread, this yields approximately two Iraqi ratls, equivalent to five and five-sevenths Damascene ounces. If he allocates part of it to an accompaniment, as has been reported from the early generations, the bread amounts to approximately four ounces. This is insufficient for most inhabitants of other towns.

For this reason, the majority of scholars have said that outside Medina one should provide more than this: either two mudds or one and a half mudds, according to how much the people eat. Thus, the bread provided may amount to half a Damascene ratl, two-thirds of a ratl, one ratl, or more—either with an accompaniment, according to how much they customarily eat at a given time (1); for people’s customary diet varies with low prices