If it is obligatory for a person to give zakat on various items and he gives some zakat without specifying in his intention which item it relates to, in the event that the thing he has given is of the same type as one of the items, it will be counted as zakat of that particular thing.
For example, if it is obligatory for him to give zakat on forty sheep and fifteen mithqāls of gold, and he gives one sheep as zakat without specifying in his intention if it is zakat of the sheep or the gold, then it will be counted as zakat of the sheep. However, if he gives some silver coins or notes of money (i.e. a different type of commodity to sheep and gold), then, according to some [jurists], it must be divided between both of them [i.e.
for giving the zakat on both the sheep and the gold]. However, this is problematic [i.e. based on obligatory precaution, it does not suffice], and it is probable that it cannot be counted as zakat for any of them and remains the owner’s property.