Zakah on Shares: Their Market Value at the Time Zakah Becomes Due

Question : Is the zakah on shares based on the official value of the share, the market value, or what?

Answer : The zakah on shares and other trade goods is based on the market value. So, if they were bought for a thousand and then became worth two thousand when the zakah became due, they are assessed at two thousand, because the criterion is the value of the item when the zakah becomes due, not the price at which it was purchased.