Is Zakat obligatory on the Makkah sheep, assumed to be a cross between wild gazelles and domesticated sheep?
Chapter on Zakat on Cows
Al-Mughni
Book of Zakat
Primary text
The sounder position is that no Zakat is due on the Makkah sheep if it is a hybrid of gazelle and sheep. The obligation of Zakat requires explicit text, consensus, or valid analogy, none of which apply here. This creature is not included in the species mentioned in the texts concerning livestock (An'am) in terms of legal ruling, essence, or meaning. The hybrid (like the mule or wild beast hybrid) possesses its own unique name, species, and ruling, distinct from its progenitors, and it does not fulfill the conditions for sacrifice, blood money (Diyah), or inclusion in a contract of Islam or agency for purchasing livestock. Furthermore, such hybrids often lack progeny, and lacking progeny implies lacking milk production, rendering analogy invalid.
Supporting text
A claim exists that these Makkah sheep carry Zakat by consensus, suggesting they should be aggregated with their domesticated counterpart to complete the minimum threshold (Nisab). However, this is invalid because if they were truly hybrids between wild and domestic, they would be forbidden in the Haram and during Ihram, requiring expiation (Jaza') like other wild/domestic crosses, and they would likely lack progeny like mules.