The ruling on a woman who does not pay zakah on her jewelry for several years out of ignorance of its obligation

The questioner : The questioner says: A woman did not know that zakah is obligatory on jewelry until a short time ago. She has silver that she has had for twenty years, and she did not know that zakah was obligatory. What is the ruling?

The Shaykh : Is it sweet milk or something else?

The questioner : Please proceed.

The Shaykh : Other than milk.

The questioner : She means, the intention is that I have silver. I have silver.

The Shaykh : This question allows for two possibilities: either this woman has silver jewelry, or she has gold jewelry and silver dirhams. We must answer for both possibilities. If the jewelry is of silver and years have passed, and she did not know that zakah is obligatory on silver jewelry, then what I see is that she is not required to pay zakah on what has passed.
Because what is known in this country, may Allah help you, and what is issued as a fatwa is the well-known position of the school of Imam Ahmad. The well-known position of the school of Imam Ahmad is that there is no zakah on jewelry intended for adornment or for wearing. Based on this, she is not required to pay zakah on what has passed.
However, she is required to pay zakah for this year in which she learned that zakah is obligatory on jewelry, and for the years to come.
As for the second possibility, that this woman has gold jewelry and silver dirhams, and she did not pay zakah on what has passed, we say regarding the gold jewelry what we said regarding the silver jewelry: there is no zakah on her for what has passed.
She only pays zakah for this year and the years to come. As for the silver dirhams, it is obligatory for her to pay zakah on what has passed, even if twenty years have passed.
The difference between them is that no one says that zakah is not obligatory on silver dirhams, so she is not excused for delaying its zakah. As for jewelry, the scholars differ on it, and this disagreement removes the obligation from her regarding what has passed, especially since she is in a country where the prevailing view is that zakah is not obligatory on jewelry. However, it has been mentioned to us that the stronger view is that zakah is obligatory on jewelry in all cases. Silver dirhams, silver riyals, or paper riyals, these represent silver. If a person has paper money equal in value to fifty-six silver riyals, then zakah becomes obligatory on him.