Yahya said that Malik said, concerning two associates, "If they share one herdsman, one male animal, one pasture and one watering place then the two men are associates, as long as each one of them knows his own property from that of his companion If someone cannot tell his property apart from that of his fellow, he is not an associate, but rather, a co-owner " Malik said, "It is not obligatory for both associates to pay zakat unless both of them have a zakatable amount (of livestock). If, for instance, one of the associates has forty or more sheep and goats and the other has less than forty sheep and goats, then the one who has forty has to pay zakat and the one who has less does not. If both of them have a zakatable amount (of livestock) then both of them are assessed together (i.e the flock is assessed as one) and both of them have to pay zakat. If one of them has a thousand sheep, or less, that he has to pay zakat on, and the other has forty, or more, then they are associates, and each one pays his contribution according to the number of animals he has - so much from the one with a thousand, and so much from the one with forty. Malik said, "Two associates in camels are the same as two associates in sheep and goats, and, for the purposes of zakat, are assessed together if each one of them has a zakatable amount (of camels). That is because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'There is no zakat on less than five head of camels,' and Umar ibn al-Khattab said, 'On grazing sheep and goats, if they come to forty or more - one ewe.' " Yahya said that Malik said, "This is what I like most out of what I have heard about the matter." Malik said that when Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "Those separated should not be gathered together nor should those gathered together be separated in order to avoid paying zakat," what he meant was the owners of livestock. Malik said, "What he meant when he said, 'Those separated should not be gathered together' is, for instance, that there is a group of three men, each of whom has forty sheep and goats, and each of whom thus has to pay zakat. Then, when the zakat collector is on his way ,they gather their flocks together so that they only owe one ewe between them. This they are forbidden to do. What he meant when he said, 'nor should those gathered together be separated,' is, for instance, that there are two associates, each one of whom has a hundred and one sheep and goats, and each of whom must therefore pay three ewes. Then, when the zakat collector is on his way, they split up their flocks so that they only have to pay one ewe each. This they are forbidden to do. And so it is said, 'Those separated should not be gathered together nor should those gathered together be separated in order to avoid paying zakat.' " Malik said, "This is what I have heard about the matter."  

قالَ يَحْيى: قالَ مالِكٌ: فِي الخَلِيطَيْنِ إذا كانَ الرّاعِي واحِدًا، والفَحْلُ واحِدًا، والمُراحُ واحِدًا، والدَّلْوُ واحِدًا: فالرَّجُلاَنِ خَلِيطانِ. وإنْ عَرَفَ كُلُّ واحِدٍ مِنهُما مالَهُ مِن مالِ صاحِبِهِ قالَ: والَّذِي لاَ يَعْرِفُ مالَهُ مِن مالِ صاحِبِهِ لَيْسَ بِخَلِيطٍ. إنَّما هُوَ شَرِيكٌ. قالَ مالِكٌ: ولاَ تَجِبُ الصَّدَقَةُ عَلى الخَلِيطَيْنِ حَتّى يَكُونَ لِكُلِّ واحِدٍ مِنهُما ما تَجِبُ فِيهِ الصَّدَقَةُ. قالَ مالِكٌ: وتَفْسِيرُ ذلِكَ؛ إذا كانَ لِأحَدِ الخَلِيطَيْنِ أرْبَعُونَ شاةً فَصاعِدًا، ولِلْآخَرِ أقَلُّ مِن أرْبَعِينَ شاةً، كانَتِ الصَّدَقَةُ عَلى الَّذِي لَهُ أرْبَعُونَ شاةً. ولَمْ تَكُنْ عَلى الَّذِي لَهُ أقَلُّ مِن ذلِكَ، صَدَقَةٌ. قالَ يَحْيى، قالَ مالِكٌ: فَإنْ كانَ لِكُلِّ واحِدٍ مِنهُما ما تَجِبُ فِيهِ الصَّدَقَةُ جُمِعا فِي الصَّدَقَةِ. ووَجَبَتِ الصَّدَقَةُ عَلَيْهِما جَمِيعًا. فَإنْ كانَتْ لِأحَدِهِما ألْفُ شاةٍ، أوْ أقَلُّ مِن ذلِكَ، مِمّا تَجِبُ فِيهِ الصَّدَقَةُ. ولِلْآخَرِ أرْبَعُونَ شاةً أوْ أكْثَرُ، فَهُما خَلِيطانِ. يَتَرادّانِ الفَضْلَ بَيْنَهُما بِالسَّوِيَّةِ. عَلى قَدْرِ عَدَدِ أمْوالِهِما، عَلى الألْفِ بِحِصَّتِها. وعَلى الأرْبَعِينَ بِحِصَّتِها. قالَ، وقالَ مالِكٌ: الخَلِيطانِ فِي الإبِلِ بِمَنزِلَةِ الخَلِيطَيْنِ فِي الغَنَمِ. يُجْمَعانِ فِي الصَّدَقَةِ جَمِيعًا، إذا كانَ لِكُلِّ واحِدٍ مِنهُما ما تَجِبُ فِيهِ الصَّدَقَةُ. وذلِكَ أنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قالَ: «لَيْسَ فِيما دُونَ خَمْسِ ذَوْدٍ مِنَ الإبِلِ صَدَقَةٌ». وقالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الخَطّابِ: وفِي سائِمَةِ الغَنَمِ إذا بَلَغَتْ أرْبَعِينَ شاةٌ.قالَ يَحْيى: قالَ مالِكٌ: وهذا أحَبُّ ما سَمِعْتُ إلَيَّ فِي هذا. وقالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الخَطّابِ: لاَ يُجْمَعُ بَيْنَ مُتَفَرِّقٍ، ولاَ يُفَرَّقُ بَيْنَ مُجْتَمِعٍ خَشْيَةَ الصَّدَقَةِ. أنَّهُ إنَّما يَعْنِي بِذلِكَ أصْحابَ المَواشِي. قالَ، قالَ مالِكٌ: وتَفْسِيرُ لاَ يُجْمَعُ بَيْنَ مُتَفَرِّقٍ أنَّهُ يَكُونَ النَّفَرُ الثَّلاَثَةُ الَّذِينَ يَكُونُ لِكُلِّ واحِدٍ مِنهُمْ أرْبَعُونَ شاةً، وقَدْ وجَبَتْ عَلى كُلِّ واحِدٍ مِنهُمْ فِي غَنَمِهِ الصَّدَقَةُ. فَإذا أظَلَّهُمُ المُصَدِّقُ جَمَعُوها، لِئَلاَّ يَكُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ فِيها إلاَّ شاةٌ واحِدَةٌ. فَنُهُوا عَنْ ذلِكَ. وتَفْسِيرُ قَوْلِهِ: «ولاَ يُفَرَّقُ بَيْنَ مُجْتَمِعٍ» أنَّ الخَلِيطَيْنِ يَكُونُ لِكُلِّ واحِدٍ مِنهُما مائَةُ شاةٍ وشاةٌ، فَيَكُونُ عَلَيْهِما فِيها ثَلاَثُ شِياهٍ. فَإذا أظَلَّهُما المُصَدِّقُ، فَرَّقا غَنَمَهُما. فَلَمْ يَكُنْ عَلى كُلِّ واحِدٍ مِنهُما إلاَّ شاةٌ واحِدَةٌ. فَنُهِيَ عَنْ ذلِكَ. فَقِيلَ: لاَ يُجْمَعُ بَيْنَ مُتَفَرِّقٍ، ولاَ يُفَرَّقُ بَيْنَ مُجْتَمِعٍ. خَشْيَةَ الصَّدَقَةِ. قالَ: فَهذا الَّذِي سَمِعْتُ فِي ذلِكَ.