Sunan an-Nasa'i
Sunan an-Nasa'i 2449
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الأَعْلَى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مُعْتَمِرٌ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ بَهْزَ بْنَ حَكِيمٍ، يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " فِي كُلِّ إِبِلٍ سَائِمَةٍ مِنْ كُلِّ أَرْبَعِينَ ابْنَةُ لَبُونٍ لاَ تُفَرَّقُ إِبِلٌ عَنْ حِسَابِهَا مَنْ أَعْطَاهَا مُؤْتَجِرًا لَهُ أَجْرُهَا وَمَنْ مَنَعَهَا فَإِنَّا آخِذُوهَا وَشَطْرَ إِبِلِهِ عَزْمَةً مِنْ عَزَمَاتِ رَبِّنَا لاَ يَحِلُّ لآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنْهَا شَىْءٌ " .
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Ala reported: Mutamir narrated to us: I heard Bahz ibn Hakim relating from his father, from his grandfather, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: For every forty freely grazing camels there is a female camel in its second year (bint labun). Camels are not to be separated from their calculation. Whoever gives it seeking reward will have its reward; whoever withholds it, we will take it and half his camels, as a binding duty among the duties of our Lord. Nothing of it is lawful for the family of Muhammad ﷺ.
Translation notes
The phrase about not separating camels from their calculation is translated literally and marked for review; the source identifies the zakah due as a bint labun per forty grazing camels.
قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " فِي كُلِّ إِبِلٍ سَائِمَةٍ مِنْ كُلِّ أَرْبَعِينَ ابْنَةُ لَبُونٍ لاَ تُفَرَّقُ إِبِلٌ عَنْ حِسَابِهَا مَنْ أَعْطَاهَا مُؤْتَجِرًا لَهُ أَجْرُهَا وَمَنْ مَنَعَهَا فَإِنَّا آخِذُوهَا وَشَطْرَ إِبِلِهِ عَزْمَةً مِنْ عَزَمَاتِ رَبِّنَا لاَ يَحِلُّ لآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنْهَا شَىْءٌ " .
The phrase about not separating camels from their calculation is a technical zakah-accounting instruction whose precise application is unclear in isolation.
Should this be understood as a prohibition on splitting a herd for calculation, or is another technical sense intended?