What is the answer to the statement of Allah the Exalted, “and they do not spend them,” given that gold and silver are two distinct categories?

Question : He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, you mentioned that gold and silver are two distinct categories. So what about the statement of Allah the Exalted: “Indeed, those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend them”? Why did it not say “and they do not spend them both”? What is the answer to this?

Answer : The statement of Allah the Exalted, , indicates that they are two distinct categories, because the default in conjunction is difference. As for His statement “and they do not spend them,” this refers to the wealth, because gold and silver are wealth. So when He says “and they do not spend them,” it means the wealth. He returned the pronoun to gold and silver not on the basis of them being two distinct categories, but on the basis that they are wealth.