What is the ruling on mixed livestock (*shāh mukhtalatah*) that have been jointly owned for part of the Hawl (a year) when subsequently sold to each other while still mixed?
Chapter on Zakat on Sheep
Al-Mughni
Book of Zakat
Primary text
If eighty sheep are mixed and pass some portion of the Hawl, and then the owners sell them to each other while they remain mixed and sent out based on that mixture, the Hawl requirement for Zakah does not stop, and the state of mixture is not nullified. This ruling applies even if the sold portion, whether small or large, was sold without being separated first. This is based on the principle that the obligation of Zakah depends on the state of the property, and the continuation of the property's description must be maintained, as Zakah on the purchased item depends on the Hawl of the sold item.
Supporting text
If the animals were separated (*afradahā*) before the sale, and then mixed again after the sale, the effect of the mixture is nullified if the period of separation was prolonged. If they were mixed immediately after the sale, there are two views: one holds that the mixture is not interrupted because the period of separation is negligible and overlooked; the other holds that it is interrupted because separation occurred for part of the Hawl, necessitating that each owner pay the Zakah required for an individual owner.