When Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent Muʿadh to Yemen, he said (to him), "YOU are going to people of a (Divine) Book. First of all invite them to worship Allah (alone) and when they come to know Allah, inform them that Allah has enjoined on them, five prayers in every day and night; and if they start offering these prayers, inform them that Allah has enjoined on them, the Zakat. And it is to be taken from the rich amongst them and given to the poor amongst them; and if they obey you in that, take Zakat from them and avoid (don't take) the best property of the people as Zakat." (Using translation from Bukhārī 1458)   

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ لَمَّا بَعَثَ مُعَاذًا إِلَى الْيَمَنِ قَالَ إِنَّكَ تَقْدَمُ عَلَى قَوْمٍ أَهْلِ كِتَابٍ فَلْيَكُنْ أَوْلَ مَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَيْهِ عِبَادَةُ اللهِ ﷻ فَإِذَا عَرَفُوا اللهَ فَأَخْبِرْهُمْ أَنَّ اللهَ قَدْ فَرَضَ عَلَيْهِمْ خَمْسَ صَلَوَاتٍ فِي يَوْمِهِمْ وَلَيْلَتِهِمْ فَإِذَا فَعَلُوا فَأَخْبِرْهُمْ أَنَّ اللهَ قَدْ فَرَضَ عَلَيْهِمْ زَكَاةً تُؤْخَذُ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ فَتُرَدُّ عَلَى فُقَرَائِهِمْ فَإِذَا أَطَاعُوا بِهَا فَخُذْ مِنْهُمْ وَتَوَقَّ كَرَائِمَ أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ  

I went myself or someone who accompanied the collector of the Prophet ﷺ told me: It was recorded in the document written by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ not to accept a milking goat or she-camel or a (suckling) baby (as zakat on animals); and those which are in separate flocks are not to be brought together, and those which are in one flock are not to be separated. The collector used to visit the water-hole when the sheep went there and say: Pay the sadaqah (zakat) on your property. The narrator said: A man wanted to give him his high-humped camel (kawma'). The narrator (Hilal) asked: What is kawma', AbuSalih? He said: A camel a high hump. The narrator continued: He (the collector) refused to accept it. He said: I wish you could take the best of my camels. He refused to accept it. He then brought another camel lower in quality than the previous one. He refused to accept it too. He then brought another camel lower in quality than the previous one. He accepted it, saying: I shall take it, but I am afraid the Messenger of Allah ﷺ might be angry with me, saying to me: You have purposely taken from a man a camel of your choice. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has also been narrated by Hushaim from Hilal bin Khabbab to the same effect. But he said: Those which are in one flock are not to be separated. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 1579)   

أَخْبَرَنِي مَنْ سَارَ مَعَ مُصَدِّقِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَإِذَا فِي عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ أَنْ لَا تَأْخُذْ مِنْ رَاضِعِ لَبَنٍ وَلَا يُجْمَعُ بَيْنَ مُتَفَرِّقٍ وَلَا يُفَرَّقُ بَيْنَ مُجْتَمِعٍ وَكَانَ إِنَّمَا يَأْتِي الْمِيَاهَ حِينَ تُرَدُّ الْغَنَمُ فَيَقُولُ أَدُّوا صَدَقَاتِ أَمْوَالِكُمْ قَالَ فَعَمَدَ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ إِلَى نَاقَةٍ كَوْمَاءَ قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا أَبَا صَالِحٍ مَا الْكَوْمَاءُ؟ قَالَ عَظِيمَةُ السَّنَامِ قَالَ فَأَبَى أَنْ يَقْبَلَهَا قَالَ فَقَالَ إِنِّي أُحِبُّ أَنْ تَأْخُذَ خَيْرَ إِبِلِي قَالَ فَأَبَى أَنْ يَقْبَلَهَا قَالَ فَخَطَمَ لَهُ أُخْرَى دُونَهَا فَأَبَى أَنْ يَقْبَلَهَا ثُمَّ خَطَمَ لَهُ أُخْرَى دُونَهَا فَقَبِلَهَا وَقَالَ إِنِّي آخُذُهَا وَأَخَافُ أَنْ يَجِدَ عَلَيَّ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ عَمَدْتَ إِلَى رَجُلٍ فَتَخَيَّرْتَ عَلَيْهِ إِبِلَهُ  

"The Zakah collector of the prophet came to us, and I went to him, sat with him, and heard him say: In my contract it says that we should not take any sucking young, nor combine what is separate, nor separate what is combined.' A man brought a she-camel with a big hump to him and said: 'Take it, but he refused." (Daif) (Using translation from Nasāʾī 2457)   

أَتَانَا مُصَدِّقُ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَجَلَسْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّ فِي عَهْدِي أَنْ لَا آخُذَ مِنْ رَاضِعِ لَبَنٍ وَلَا يُفَرَّقُ بَيْنَ مُجْتَمِعٍ وَلَا يُجْمَعُ بَيْنَ مُفْتَرِقٍ وَأَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ بِنَاقَةٍ كَوْمَاءَ فَقَالَ خُذْهَا فَأَبَى  

[Machine] I took the hand of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and came to him with a large camel. He said, "Which sky will shelter me and which earth will contain me if I take the best of a person's wealth and he comes to me with a camel from among the camels?" So he accepted it.  

أَخَذْتُ بِيَدِ مُصَدِّقِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَأَتَيْتُهُ بِنَاقَةٍ عَظِيمَةٍ فَقَالَ أِيُّ سَمَاءٍ تُظِلُّنِي وَأِيُّ أَرْضٍ تُقِلُّنِي إِذَا أَخَذْتُ خِيَارَ مَالِ امْرِئٍ فَأَتَيْتُهُ بِنَاقَةٍ مِنَ الْإِبِلِ فَقَبِلَهَا  

[Machine] The Prophet's companion came to me, so I took his hand and he took mine, and I read in his notebook that one should not separate what is joined, and one should not join what is separate, out of fear of charity mismanagement. He said, then a man came to him with a huge well-groomed camel, and he refused to take it. Then he came to him with another one, more valuable than the first, and he refused to take it. Then he came to him with another one, less valuable than the previous ones, and he refused to take it as well. Then he said, "Which land can bear me, and which sky can shade me, when I come to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ having taken the best of a Muslim's camels, as narrated in the conversation of Ubayy ibn Ka'b when he left as a companion and it indicates the permissibility of taking it if the owner offers it willingly."  

أَتَى مُصَدِّقُ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَأَخَذْتُ بِيَدِهِ وَأَخَذَ بِيَدِي فَقَرَأْتُ فِي عَهْدِهِ أَنْ لَا يُجْمَعَ بَيْنَ مُتَفَرِّقٍ وَلَا يُفَرَّقُ بَيْنَ مُجْتَمِعٍ خَشْيَةَ الصَّدَقَةِ قَالَ فَأَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ بِنَاقَةٍ عَظِيمَةٍ مُلَمْلَمَةٍ فَأَبَى أَنْ يَأْخُذَهَا ثُمَّ أَتَاهُ بِأُخْرَى دُونَهَا فَأَبَى أَنْ يَأْخُذَهَا ثُمَّ أَتَاهُ بِأُخْرَى دُونَهَا فَأَبَى أَنْ يَأْخُذَهَا ثُمَّ قَالَ أِيُّ أَرْضٍ تُقِلُّنِي وَأِيُّ سَمَاءٍ تُظِلُّنِي إِذَا أَنَا أَتَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ وَقَدْ أَخَذْتُ خِيَارَ إِبِلِ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ وَقَدْ مَضَى فِي حَدِيثِ أُبَيِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ حِينَ خَرَجَ مُصَدِّقًا وَفِيهِ دَلَالَةٌ عَلَى جَوَازِ الْأَخْذِ إِذَا تَطَوَّعَ بِهِ صَاحِبُهُ  

[Machine] I saw a man in the place of Ayyub (Job), wearing a woolen robe (jubbah). In another narration by Al-Harith, he said: I saw in the gathering of Ayyub an Arab man wearing a woolen robe (jubbah). When the people began talking, he said, "My master, Qurrat bin Da'moos, told me..." He said, "I came to Madinah and found the Prophet ﷺ sitting with his companions around him. I wanted to get closer to him but I couldn't. So I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, seek forgiveness for the young boy, An-Numayri.' He replied, 'May Allah forgive you.' He said, 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent Adh-Dhahhak as a messenger.' He said, 'He came with a large number of camels and the Prophet ﷺ said to him, 'Have you come from Hilal bin 'Aamir, Numayr bin 'Aamir, and 'Aamir bin Rabee'? I have taken their wealth.' So he said, 'O Messenger of Allah, I heard you mention war so I loved to come to you with camels that you could ride on and your companions could also ride on.' He said, 'By Allah, what you left behind is more beloved to me than what you brought. Go and return their property to them and take alms from the outskirts of their wealth.'"  

رَأَيْتُ رَجُلًا فِي مَكَانِ أَيُّوبَ عَلَيْهِ جُبَّةٌ صُوفٌ وَفِي رِوَايَةِ الْحَارِثِ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ فِي مَجْلِسِ أَيُّوبَ أَعْرَابِيًّا عَلَيْهِ جُبَّةٌ صُوفٌ فَلَمَّا رَأَى الْقَوْمَ يَتَحَدَّثُونَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مَوْلَايَ قُرَّةُ بْنُ دَعْمُوصٍ قَالَ أَتَيْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ فَإِذَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ قَاعِدٌ وَأَصْحَابُهُ حَوْلَهُ فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَدْنُوَ مِنْهُ فَلَمْ أَسْتَطِعْ أَنْ أَدْنُوَ مِنْهُ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ اسْتَغْفِرْ لِلْغُلَامِ النُّمَيْرِيِّ فَقَالَ غَفَرَ اللهُ لَكَ قَالَ وَبَعَثَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ الضَّحَّاكَ سَاعِيًا قَالَ فَجَاءَ بِإِبِلٍ جُلَّةٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَتَيْتُ هِلَالَ بْنَ عَامِرٍ وَنُمَيْرَ بْنَ عَامِرٍ وَعَامِرَ بْنَ رَبِيعٍ فَأَخَذْتُ جُلَّةَ أَمْوَالِهِمْ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنِّي سَمِعْتُكَ تَذْكُرُ الْغَزْوَ فَأَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ آتِيَكَ بِإِبِلٍ تَرْكَبُهَا وَتَحْمِلُ عَلَيْهَا أَصْحَابَكَ فَقَالَ وَاللهِ لَلَّذِي تَرَكْتَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنَ الَّذِي جِئْتَ بِهِ اذْهَبْ فَرُدَّهَا عَلَيْهِمْ وَخُذْ صَدَقَاتِهِمْ مِنْ حَوَاشِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ  

[Machine] The sheikh, if he is from those who fulfill their obligations, as  

الشَّيْخُ إِذَا كَانَ فِيمَا دَفَعُوا وَفَاءٌ مِنَ الْحَقِّ كَمَا  

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ , sent a trustworthy man who said, "Do not take anything from the wealth of people as a means of support, rather take from the generous, the wealthy, and those who are free from defects."  

بَعَثَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ رَجُلًا مُصَدِّقًا قَالَ لَا تَأْخُذْ مِنْ حَزَرَاتِ أَنْفَسِ النَّاسِ شَيْئًا خُذِ الشَّارِفَ وَالْبِكْرَ وَذَوَاتِ الْعَيْبِ  

[Machine] Do not take the option of their wealth, take the edge, which is the old and weak she-camel, and the young male camel, which is the young one among the male camels. And it was in the early days of Islam, before people took on laws. The scholar said that the saying is a transmitted narration, and it can be imagined that with us taking the males, the young, and the defective ones, when their gait is like that.  

لَا تَأْخُذْ خِيَارَ أَمْوَالِهِمْ خُذِ الشَّارِفَ وَهِيَ الْمُسِنَّةُ الْهَرِمَةُ وَالْبِكْرَ وَهُوَ الصَّغِيرُ مِنْ ذُكُورِ الْإِبِلِ وَأَنَّهُ كَانَ فِي أَوْلِ الْإِسْلَامِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُؤْخَذَ النَّاسُ بِالشَّرَائِعِ قَالَ الشَّيْخُ الْحَدِيثُ مُرْسَلٌ وَقَدْ يُتَصَوَّرُ عِنْدَنَا أَخْذُ الذُّكُورِ وَالصِّغَارِ وَالْمَعِيبَةِ إِذَا كَانَتْ مَاشِيَتُهُ كُلُّهَا كَذَلِكَ  

[Machine] If the person giving alms reaches the sheep, he splits it into two halves, and the owner of the sheep takes the better half, and the owner of the donation takes the other half.  

إِذَا انْتَهَى الْمُصَدِّقُ إِلَى الْغَنَمِ صَدَعَهَا صَدْعَيْنِ فَيَأْخُذُ صَاحِبُ الْغَنَمِ خَيْرَ الصَّدْعَيْنِ وَيَأْخُذُ صَاحِبُ الصَّدَقَةِ مِنَ الصَّدْعِ الْآخَرِ  

[Machine] He said, "It is divided into three types of headaches: one-third is the best, one-third is average, and one-third is the worst." The believer should choose the best option and take from the average. Abu Bakr Al-Asbahani informed us that Abu Nasr Al-Iraqi narrated from Sufyan Al-Jawhari, who narrated from Ali Ibn Al-Hasan, who narrated from Abdullah Ibn Al-Walid, who narrated from Sufyan Al-Thawri, that both of them narrated from them all. Al-Shafi'i mentioned these two schools without naming their proponents, and we have also narrated from Al-Zuhri a statement similar to that of Al-Qasim and we have narrated from Umar Ibn Al-Khattab that he said, "The owner of the flock should choose one-third, and then choose from the remaining two-thirds."  

أَنَّهُ قَالَ يَصْدَعُهَا ثَلَاثَةَ أَصْدَاعٍ ثُلُثَ خِيَارٍ وَثُلُثَ وَسَطٍ وَثُلُثَ دُونٍ فَيَدَعُ الْمُصَدِّقُ الْخِيَارَ وَيَأْخُذُ مِنَ الْوَسَطِ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْأَصْبَهَانِيُّ أَنْبَأَ أَبُو نَصْرٍ الْعِرَاقِيُّ ثنا سُفْيَانُ الْجَوْهَرِيُّ ثنا عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ ثنا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ ثنا سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ عَنْهُمَا بِهِمَا جَمِيعًا وَقَدْ حَكَى الشَّافِعِيُّ فِي الْقَدِيمِ هَذَيْنِ الْمَذْهَبَيْنِ مِنْ غَيْرِ تَسْمِيَةِ قَائِلَيْهِمَا وَرُوِّينَا عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ مِثْلَ قَوْلِ الْقَاسِمِ وَرُوِّينَا عَنِ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ ؓ أَنَّهُ قَالَ يَخْتَارُ صَاحِبُ الْغَنَمِ الثُّلُثَ ثُمَّ اخْتَارُوا مِنَ الثُّلُثَيْنِ الْبَاقِيَيْنِ