Ruling 1937 — Alms Tax (Zakat)

If all the cows, sheep, and camels that a person owns are sick, have a defect, or are old, he can give the zakat on them from them. However, if they are all healthy, have no defect, and are young, he cannot give the zakat on them from sick animals, those that have a defect, or are old. In fact, if some of them are healthy and others sick, or some have a defect and others do not, or some are old and others young, then the obligatory precaution is that for their zakat he must give those animals that are healthy, do not have a defect, and are young.