What is the required duration for the mixture of wealth to be considered for the ruling of mixture in Zakat?
Chapter on Zakat on Sheep
Al-Mughni
Book of Zakat
Primary text
The mixture must endure throughout the entire Hawl (annual period) for the ruling of mixture to apply. If the partners are considered separate owners for any part of the Hawl, they are assessed Zakat as separate owners for that period. This is the position adopted by Al-Shafi'i in his later opinion (Al-Jadeed).
Supporting text
Malik differs, holding that mixture at the beginning of the Hawl is not considered, based on the saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him: 'That which is separated is not joined, and that which is joined is not separated,' meaning at the time of Zakat collection. The rebuttal states that since the wealth is subject to the ruling of individual ownership for part of the time, its Zakat is that of an individual, just as if they were separate at the end of the year, and the Hadith is interpreted as referring to wealth that is combined for the entire Hawl.