What is the ruling regarding paying Zakat when the prescribed age category of animal (San) is missing?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Zakat
Primary text
If the prescribed age category for Zakat (e.g., Jadh'ah) is missing, and the next category (Haqqah) is also missing, the jurist Al-Qadi permits transitioning to the third age category along with an additional compensatory payment (Jubran). For instance, if a Jadh'ah is due but absent, and the Haqqah is also absent, one pays Bunat Labun with an additional four sheep or forty dirhams. Similarly, if a Haqqah is due but absent along with Bunat Labun, one pays Bunat Makhad with the same compensation. This view is attributed to Imam Ahmad and Imam Shafi'i. The justification is that since the second alternative (the immediate next stage) is permissible with compensation when the direct replacement is absent, this principle extends further when both the required and the first alternative are absent, implying the meaning of the text permits this extension. Furthermore, it is permissible to substitute part of the monetary or sheep compensation with the other kind of compensation, similar to two expiations (Kaffaratayn). It is also permissible to substitute some compensation for a different age category animal that is two stages removed from the prescribed one, provided the compensation is adjusted accordingly.
Supporting text
Abu al-Khattab stated that one cannot move to an age category beyond the one immediately succeeding the obligatory one. If one transitions from a Haqqah to a Bunat Makhad, or from a Jadh'ah to a Bunat Labun, it is not permissible because the textual evidence (Nass) mandates transitioning only to a single subsequent age category, which must be adhered to, similar to limiting the substitution of sheep for camels to the specific scenario mentioned in the text. This view is also held by Ibn al-Mundhir.