Is it permissible to give the seller the value of the work on manufactured gold?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : My Shaykh, a second question regarding the topic of gold. In your time, you said that we cannot buy and sell manufactured gold at the present time unless the gold currency returns.
The Shaykh : Except
The questioner : If the gold currency returns.
The Shaykh : Not paper, silver, I mean.
The questioner : Yes, paper.
The Shaykh : The paper one.
The questioner : Because, well, suppose I have fixed things and I say, "Now I have a gold lira, and I want to go buy something." When I need to pay the man his wage, I cannot give him silver; I cannot give him gold.
The student: There are no riyals now.
The questioner : Well, now giving him riyals.
The Shaykh : Look, let us be a bit calm in the inquiry.
The questioner : Let us take it one by one.
The Shaykh : What do you want to buy now?
The questioner : I want to buy gold.
The Shaykh : What do you want to buy?
The questioner : I want to buy something manufactured, something manufactured, something worked, so that we do not get into the issue of jewelry...
The Shaykh : Or whether the man repented or did not repent, yes.
The questioner : Now, for example, a manufactured brooch; I want to buy it with paper currency. Is there a problem with that?
The Shaykh : What did you call the thing you want to buy?
The questioner : With the currency.
The Shaykh : No, no, it is it.
The questioner : A manufactured bracelet.
The student: A brooch, meaning adornment for the chest.
The Shaykh : I mean, a gold one, a gold one. Well, if you want to buy it in the Sharia-compliant way, you have to put it on the scale.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : How many grams of gold? What is the price of the gold per gram?
The questioner : Its price is, for example, fifty. It weighs ten grams, so five hundred riyals.
The Shaykh : Five hundred riyals.
The questioner : This is pure gold.
The Shaykh : This is pure gold.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : It is not permissible for you to pay him the wage for its work. But if you have silver currency, you can buy it for five hundred and ten, or five hundred and twenty, because the type is different, okay?
The questioner : No, it is not okay.
The student: I mean, you give him silver worth five hundred and twenty.
The questioner : The one that is different.
Another student: Let the Shaykh...
The Shaykh : It is not by value; it is five hundred and twenty, five hundred and twenty silver dirhams, yes.
The questioner : Yes, that is you, because you are considering this currency to be gold.
The Shaykh : ...
The questioner : The paper currency you are using, you consider it to be gold.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : No, but in reality, it is not gold.
The Shaykh : What is it then?
The questioner : It is a monetary currency.
The student: ...
The questioner : No, no, we do not want it that way. Let us stay in a scholarly inquiry.
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you, may Allah accept your repentance.
The questioner : Now, my Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : We said a second time that we cannot, now. We asked the specialists, and they said, "My brother, this is not called a mixed work. You have to consider it a mixture of gold, silver, crops, and politics. You cannot consider it gold."
The Shaykh : Zakah is obligatory on it.
The questioner : Well, like silver, zakah is obligatory on it. So that means it is a third type.
The Shaykh : You didn't answer me
The questioner : Zakah is obligatory on it.
The Shaykh : Why?
The questioner : Because it is currency.
The Shaykh : Currency.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It is not currency; you did not consider it currency.
The questioner : Who said currency?
The Shaykh : You, you, no one else.
The questioner : Who, I mean, did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say that currency is only gold and silver?
The Shaykh : I have the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) here, and he... but you are the one who said that, you are the one who said that.
The questioner : I said a third currency, a third coin.
The Shaykh : You said it is from silver, from gold, from crops, I do not know what, you mixed things, a mixture.
The questioner : Well, in your opinion, there is no zakah on it.
The Shaykh : In my opinion.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I am telling you, its origin is gold, and therefore it is not permissible to exchange a piece of gold with the currency.
The questioner : This is correct if we conceded to you.
The Shaykh : No harm, no harm, we left it, but give us the alternative, my brother, so that we know how we should deal with it. It is not that...
The questioner : Well, who should I ask, Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Be patient, no harm. Ask me, or ask someone else, it is not important. We need to reach a point where we address this currency from all angles.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : Not just if we want to buy a piece of gold.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : I am telling you, it is not permissible to buy a piece of gold for more than its weight in gold. What is the price of gold in Syrian or Saudi riyals? We pay, no increase. Why? Because I am saying its origin is gold. So gold should be, for example, like for like. You say, "No, the specialists said such and such." We heard and understood, but in the end, in the result, what is the name of this currency? It is a gold, silver, copper currency, and so on, whatever.
The questioner : Well, let us say it is copper.
The Shaykh : You say.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : With stubbornness, or without stubbornness?
The questioner : No, no, without stubbornness.
The Shaykh : It is not copper. If we removed the copper and collected it, it would weigh on the scale, and you would take its price, such and such.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : Correct.
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : But these papers, if you erase them, if they burn, they are not fixed.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : I mean, the whiteness of the paper is more useful than it.
The questioner : Well, gold is the same. If I burn it...
The Shaykh : How is gold the same?
The questioner : No, when you say now, "It is gold, my Shaykh."
The Shaykh : My Shaykh, but before we get into a maze, you say gold is the same, the same, meaning you are comparing gold to paper.
The questioner : No, I am comparing gold to copper, meaning it has value if you melt it, if you polish it.
The Shaykh : Yes, it is the same.
The questioner : It retains its value, yes. But paper, if you burn it, it has no value.
The Shaykh : Very well.
The questioner : So how am I weighing this paper with gold?
The Shaykh : Because, may Allah bless you, this paper is like a promissory note. I took a million liras from you and wrote you a promissory note.
The questioner : Equivalent to gold.
The Shaykh : Leave me this equation. You gave me a promissory note that you owe me a million liras. What is the benefit of this note? Only proving the right you have over me. But this paper has no intrinsic value, right or wrong? And paper currencies are like this; they have no intrinsic value. Their value is nominal. Now, here we are, we are going in circles, we are going in circles.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : We are not getting out of it. This nominal value used to be.
The questioner : Gold.
The Shaykh : Gold. There is no problem with this.
The questioner : Do you understand now?
The Shaykh : Now we need to know what its value is.
The questioner : Nominal.
The Shaykh : The doctor said it is a mixture. If you said gold, silver, crops, wheat, our friend finally said oil, and I do not know what, and so on. And then, what is the status of this currency regarding zakah? Is there zakah on it or not?
The questioner : Zakah is obligatory on it.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Tell us, is there zakah on it or not? Now, you brought this, and praise be to Allah, it is a nominal need, but they agreed, may Allah preserve them, that, well, I cannot write false checks now.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : If there is no one behind me to verify, and my checks keep circulating.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is right.
The questioner : And if the men are weak, they knock on it...
The Shaykh : Good.
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And here, now, these are big countries.
The Shaykh : No problem.
The questioner : They issue papers, and they come down. Who wants to monitor America? What is it issuing in dollars?
The Shaykh : No harm, but you strayed from the point. I am saying the paper is like a promissory note, like a promissory note. I gave you a promissory note. This promissory note, if it is erased, it has no value.
The questioner : They removed it.
The questioner : The General Monetary Authority guarantees payment of one hundred riyals on demand.
The Shaykh : We say its value is nominal, and we agree on this point. It was like this, but what happened?
The questioner : Allah knows best.
The Shaykh : Allah knows best.
The Shaykh : Except
The questioner : If the gold currency returns.
The Shaykh : Not paper, silver, I mean.
The questioner : Yes, paper.
The Shaykh : The paper one.
The questioner : Because, well, suppose I have fixed things and I say, "Now I have a gold lira, and I want to go buy something." When I need to pay the man his wage, I cannot give him silver; I cannot give him gold.
The student: There are no riyals now.
The questioner : Well, now giving him riyals.
The Shaykh : Look, let us be a bit calm in the inquiry.
The questioner : Let us take it one by one.
The Shaykh : What do you want to buy now?
The questioner : I want to buy gold.
The Shaykh : What do you want to buy?
The questioner : I want to buy something manufactured, something manufactured, something worked, so that we do not get into the issue of jewelry...
The Shaykh : Or whether the man repented or did not repent, yes.
The questioner : Now, for example, a manufactured brooch; I want to buy it with paper currency. Is there a problem with that?
The Shaykh : What did you call the thing you want to buy?
The questioner : With the currency.
The Shaykh : No, no, it is it.
The questioner : A manufactured bracelet.
The student: A brooch, meaning adornment for the chest.
The Shaykh : I mean, a gold one, a gold one. Well, if you want to buy it in the Sharia-compliant way, you have to put it on the scale.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : How many grams of gold? What is the price of the gold per gram?
The questioner : Its price is, for example, fifty. It weighs ten grams, so five hundred riyals.
The Shaykh : Five hundred riyals.
The questioner : This is pure gold.
The Shaykh : This is pure gold.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : It is not permissible for you to pay him the wage for its work. But if you have silver currency, you can buy it for five hundred and ten, or five hundred and twenty, because the type is different, okay?
The questioner : No, it is not okay.
The student: I mean, you give him silver worth five hundred and twenty.
The questioner : The one that is different.
Another student: Let the Shaykh...
The Shaykh : It is not by value; it is five hundred and twenty, five hundred and twenty silver dirhams, yes.
The questioner : Yes, that is you, because you are considering this currency to be gold.
The Shaykh : ...
The questioner : The paper currency you are using, you consider it to be gold.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : No, but in reality, it is not gold.
The Shaykh : What is it then?
The questioner : It is a monetary currency.
The student: ...
The questioner : No, no, we do not want it that way. Let us stay in a scholarly inquiry.
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you, may Allah accept your repentance.
The questioner : Now, my Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : We said a second time that we cannot, now. We asked the specialists, and they said, "My brother, this is not called a mixed work. You have to consider it a mixture of gold, silver, crops, and politics. You cannot consider it gold."
The Shaykh : Zakah is obligatory on it.
The questioner : Well, like silver, zakah is obligatory on it. So that means it is a third type.
The Shaykh : You didn't answer me
The questioner : Zakah is obligatory on it.
The Shaykh : Why?
The questioner : Because it is currency.
The Shaykh : Currency.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It is not currency; you did not consider it currency.
The questioner : Who said currency?
The Shaykh : You, you, no one else.
The questioner : Who, I mean, did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say that currency is only gold and silver?
The Shaykh : I have the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) here, and he... but you are the one who said that, you are the one who said that.
The questioner : I said a third currency, a third coin.
The Shaykh : You said it is from silver, from gold, from crops, I do not know what, you mixed things, a mixture.
The questioner : Well, in your opinion, there is no zakah on it.
The Shaykh : In my opinion.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I am telling you, its origin is gold, and therefore it is not permissible to exchange a piece of gold with the currency.
The questioner : This is correct if we conceded to you.
The Shaykh : No harm, no harm, we left it, but give us the alternative, my brother, so that we know how we should deal with it. It is not that...
The questioner : Well, who should I ask, Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Be patient, no harm. Ask me, or ask someone else, it is not important. We need to reach a point where we address this currency from all angles.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : Not just if we want to buy a piece of gold.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : I am telling you, it is not permissible to buy a piece of gold for more than its weight in gold. What is the price of gold in Syrian or Saudi riyals? We pay, no increase. Why? Because I am saying its origin is gold. So gold should be, for example, like for like. You say, "No, the specialists said such and such." We heard and understood, but in the end, in the result, what is the name of this currency? It is a gold, silver, copper currency, and so on, whatever.
The questioner : Well, let us say it is copper.
The Shaykh : You say.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : With stubbornness, or without stubbornness?
The questioner : No, no, without stubbornness.
The Shaykh : It is not copper. If we removed the copper and collected it, it would weigh on the scale, and you would take its price, such and such.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : Correct.
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : But these papers, if you erase them, if they burn, they are not fixed.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : I mean, the whiteness of the paper is more useful than it.
The questioner : Well, gold is the same. If I burn it...
The Shaykh : How is gold the same?
The questioner : No, when you say now, "It is gold, my Shaykh."
The Shaykh : My Shaykh, but before we get into a maze, you say gold is the same, the same, meaning you are comparing gold to paper.
The questioner : No, I am comparing gold to copper, meaning it has value if you melt it, if you polish it.
The Shaykh : Yes, it is the same.
The questioner : It retains its value, yes. But paper, if you burn it, it has no value.
The Shaykh : Very well.
The questioner : So how am I weighing this paper with gold?
The Shaykh : Because, may Allah bless you, this paper is like a promissory note. I took a million liras from you and wrote you a promissory note.
The questioner : Equivalent to gold.
The Shaykh : Leave me this equation. You gave me a promissory note that you owe me a million liras. What is the benefit of this note? Only proving the right you have over me. But this paper has no intrinsic value, right or wrong? And paper currencies are like this; they have no intrinsic value. Their value is nominal. Now, here we are, we are going in circles, we are going in circles.
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : We are not getting out of it. This nominal value used to be.
The questioner : Gold.
The Shaykh : Gold. There is no problem with this.
The questioner : Do you understand now?
The Shaykh : Now we need to know what its value is.
The questioner : Nominal.
The Shaykh : The doctor said it is a mixture. If you said gold, silver, crops, wheat, our friend finally said oil, and I do not know what, and so on. And then, what is the status of this currency regarding zakah? Is there zakah on it or not?
The questioner : Zakah is obligatory on it.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Tell us, is there zakah on it or not? Now, you brought this, and praise be to Allah, it is a nominal need, but they agreed, may Allah preserve them, that, well, I cannot write false checks now.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : If there is no one behind me to verify, and my checks keep circulating.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is right.
The questioner : And if the men are weak, they knock on it...
The Shaykh : Good.
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And here, now, these are big countries.
The Shaykh : No problem.
The questioner : They issue papers, and they come down. Who wants to monitor America? What is it issuing in dollars?
The Shaykh : No harm, but you strayed from the point. I am saying the paper is like a promissory note, like a promissory note. I gave you a promissory note. This promissory note, if it is erased, it has no value.
The questioner : They removed it.
The questioner : The General Monetary Authority guarantees payment of one hundred riyals on demand.
The Shaykh : We say its value is nominal, and we agree on this point. It was like this, but what happened?
The questioner : Allah knows best.
The Shaykh : Allah knows best.