Chapter on Additions Regarding Zakat

And from him, from Ali ibn Ibrahim, from his father, from Ibn Abi Umayr, from Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hajjaj, from Muhammad ibn Khalid: He (Muhammad ibn Khalid) asked Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, about ‘charity.’ Imam عليه السلام said: “Indeed, that is not accepted from you.” So he (narrator) said: “I carry that from my own wealth.” So Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, said: “Command your collector of charity (musaddiq) not to gather from one water to another water, and not to join together what is separate, and not to separate what is joined together. So when he enters the wealth, let him divide the sheep into two halves and give their owner the choice of whichever of the two divisions he wishes. If he chooses, then let him hand it over to him. And if the soul of the owner of the sheep follows, from the other half of them, one sheep, or two sheep, or three, then let him hand them over to him. Then let him take his charity. When he has taken it out, let him value it among those whom he wishes. When it stands at a price, then if its owner wants it, he is more entitled to it, and if he does not want it, then let him sell it.”