What is the due Zakat on five camels if its Zakat has not been paid for several years?
Chapter on Zakat on Sheep
Al-Mughni
Book of Zakat
Primary text
If a person possesses five camels and fails to pay their Zakat for several annual cycles, a single sheep is incumbent upon them for each year missed. This ruling is explicitly stated in the narration of Al-Athram. Furthermore, for property other than camels, if the Zakat due is paid from the camels, the camel herd itself is not diminished, and the required five camels remain intact. Similarly, for a herd of fewer than twenty-five camels, the due Zakat does not decrease after the first year because the obligation for subsequent years arises from property other than the herd itself, preventing its attachment to the physical assets (the camels).
Supporting text
If a person owns twenty-five camels and several years pass without payment, the due Zakat in the first year is one Bint Makhad (a female camel one year old). For every subsequent year, four sheep are due. If the value of the single sheep due for the missed years exceeds the value of five camels, that established ruling applies.