Why livestock Zakat isn't a flat percentage, the Sa'imah condition, and the classical Nisab tables for each animal type.
Published September 1, 2026 · Reviewed by the Ihsabha Editorial Team
Zakat on camels, cattle, and sheep or goats — known as Zakat al-An'am — is one of the oldest and most detailed categories of Zakat, set out directly in a written letter from the first Caliph, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, based on the Prophet's ﷺ own instructions. Unlike cash or gold, it doesn't use a flat percentage; instead, it specifies precisely which animal, or how many, are owed once a herd crosses each threshold.
Zakat al-An'am is the Zakat due on grazing livestock — specifically camels, cattle, and sheep or goats — once a herd reaches its Nisab (minimum threshold) and has been owned for a full lunar year. It is a distinct category from Zakat on trade goods, so an animal held purely for resale in a business is assessed differently, under trade-asset rules rather than these livestock tables.
Most scholars require the herd to be Sa'imah — meaning the animals graze freely on natural, ownerless pasture for most of the year, rather than being fed purchased fodder in a barn. The reasoning is that a freely grazing herd costs its owner very little to maintain and grows largely on its own, similar to accumulating savings, whereas a stall-fed herd usually represents active business investment and ongoing expense, which is assessed differently.
Cash, gold, and trade goods are all valued in money terms, so a simple 2.5% works cleanly. Livestock is different: herds are counted in whole animals of varying ages and value, so the classical rulings instead lay out a fixed table — a specific number or type of animal owed at each herd-size bracket, preserved in the hadith collections including Sahih al-Bukhari exactly as Abu Bakr's letter recorded it.
Beyond 120 camels, the rate continues scaling upward — roughly one additional bint labun for every extra 40 camels, or one additional hiqqah for every extra 50.
Above this, the pattern repeats: one tabi' for every additional 30 head, and one musinnah for every additional 40.
Yes. Exactly like Zakat on cash, gold, or trade assets, livestock Zakat only becomes obligatory once the herd has remained continuously above its Nisab, under the owner's possession, for a full Islamic lunar year. Animals born into the herd during the year are generally counted with it rather than starting a separate Hawl of their own.
Someone owns 45 sheep, continuously for over a lunar year, grazing freely on open pasture. Since 45 falls in the 40–120 bracket, they owe exactly 1 sheep to Zakat — regardless of whether they own 42 or 118, the amount within that bracket stays the same.
Work out exactly what you owe. Ihsabha's Livestock Zakat Calculator applies the correct Nisab table for camels, cattle, or sheep and goats based on your herd size and animal type.
Sa'imah refers to livestock that graze freely on natural pasture for most of the year, rather than being fed purchased fodder. Many scholars consider this condition essential, since freely grazing herds grow on their own like savings, while stall-fed animals are often treated as a business asset instead.
Livestock Zakat follows its own set of rules recorded directly from the Prophet's instructions. Instead of a percentage of value, it specifies exactly which animal, or how many animals, are due once a herd reaches a certain size.
Yes. Just like Zakat on cash, gold, or trade assets, livestock Zakat only becomes obligatory once the herd has been owned continuously, above the Nisab, for a full Islamic lunar year.
The tables above cover the widely-followed classical brackets, but the exact combination owed at very large herd sizes, and whether the Sa'imah condition applies exactly as described, can vary by school of thought and local circumstances. For a large or mixed-age herd, confirm the precise amount with a qualified scholar or your local Zakat authority.