Must the full Nisab be continuously possessed throughout the entire Zakat year?
Chapter on Zakat on Sheep
Al-Mughni
Book of Zakat
Primary text
The existence of the Nisab must be present throughout the entire year. A slight deficiency in the Hawl, lasting an hour or two, is pardoned, according to Abu Bakr. If the deficiency occurs during the middle of the year, it is generally viewed that Zakat is prevented if the deficiency is significant, as the rule of the Hawl is suspended by the reduction of the Nisab.
Supporting text
Abu Hanifa held that if the Nisab is complete at both the beginning and end of the year, a deficiency in the middle does not impede Zakat. The reasoning for requiring the full Hawl is based on the Hadith: "There is no Zakat on wealth until a full year has passed over it," which implies the year must pass over the entirety of the property, and what is stipulated at the two ends must be stipulated in the middle, like ownership and Islam.