What is the nisab (minimum threshold for zakah) for gold? And how much must be paid from it? For I own some gold pieces of jewelry.
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Question: What is the nisab (minimum threshold for zakah) for gold? And how much must be paid from it? For I own some gold pieces of jewelry. Six years have passed without me paying its zakah, knowing that it is not with me here in the Kingdom. So, do I pay for the past year and the current year, or only for the current year? And do I pay it now? Or do I wait until I return to my country where it is located?
Answer: The nisab (minimum threshold for zakah) for gold is twenty mithqals,And it is in Saudi pounds: approximately eleven and a half pounds, and as for what is obligatory in gold, it is one-quarter of one-tenth.
As for the jewelry you mentioned, there is a detailed ruling: if you acquired this jewelry for trade, meaning seeking profit from its price, then its zakah is obligatory on its value, whether small or large. If its value reaches the nisab (minimum threshold for zakah) or more, then you purify it by paying one-quarter of one-tenth of it. This is done by appraising it and estimating its value at the beginning of the year at what it is worth, then paying one-quarter of one-tenth of it, because it has become merchandise for trade.
As for if you acquired this jewelry for keeping and saving, and you do not want it for wearing and use, but only for saving, then its zakah is obligatory on its weight if it reaches twenty mithqals, as we mentioned, or more. Then you pay one-quarter of one-tenth of it.
As for if it is for use, this is a point of disagreement among the scholars with two opinions:
The first opinion: That zakah is not obligatory on it, and it becomes like clothes, houses, and vehicles that a person uses for his need, on which there is no zakah.
The second opinion: That zakah is obligatory on it due to the generality of the texts regarding the obligation of zakah on gold and silver.
And the stronger opinion: The first opinion is that there is no zakah on jewelry intended for use or borrowing, because it becomes like clothing, and like what a person needs for use. For example, he uses vehicles, clothes, utensils, and food, and there is no zakah on these.
Likewise, jewelry, because it is part of the necessities, so there is no zakah on it according to this opinion. If she wants to pay zakah on it as a precaution, then she pays it as if it were another type of wealth. So she pays it. If it itself does not reach the nisab (minimum threshold for zakah), but she has other wealth, then she adds it to that and pays zakah on the whole.
Question: Is it not possible to estimate this nisab (minimum threshold for zakah) by the gram currently in circulation?
Answer: I do not know the exact gram currently in circulation, and you can ask the goldsmiths about that, how much a mithqal is worth in relation to the gram.
Question: Is it not a condition that its zakah be of its kind, i.e., gold? Meaning, if you estimate its value and pay, for example, two and a half riyals for every hundred riyals, which is one-quarter of one-tenth, is that permissible for her?
Answer: If you know what is obligatory in it, she may pay its zakah in cash from other currencies.
Answer: The nisab (minimum threshold for zakah) for gold is twenty mithqals,And it is in Saudi pounds: approximately eleven and a half pounds, and as for what is obligatory in gold, it is one-quarter of one-tenth.
As for the jewelry you mentioned, there is a detailed ruling: if you acquired this jewelry for trade, meaning seeking profit from its price, then its zakah is obligatory on its value, whether small or large. If its value reaches the nisab (minimum threshold for zakah) or more, then you purify it by paying one-quarter of one-tenth of it. This is done by appraising it and estimating its value at the beginning of the year at what it is worth, then paying one-quarter of one-tenth of it, because it has become merchandise for trade.
As for if you acquired this jewelry for keeping and saving, and you do not want it for wearing and use, but only for saving, then its zakah is obligatory on its weight if it reaches twenty mithqals, as we mentioned, or more. Then you pay one-quarter of one-tenth of it.
As for if it is for use, this is a point of disagreement among the scholars with two opinions:
The first opinion: That zakah is not obligatory on it, and it becomes like clothes, houses, and vehicles that a person uses for his need, on which there is no zakah.
The second opinion: That zakah is obligatory on it due to the generality of the texts regarding the obligation of zakah on gold and silver.
And the stronger opinion: The first opinion is that there is no zakah on jewelry intended for use or borrowing, because it becomes like clothing, and like what a person needs for use. For example, he uses vehicles, clothes, utensils, and food, and there is no zakah on these.
Likewise, jewelry, because it is part of the necessities, so there is no zakah on it according to this opinion. If she wants to pay zakah on it as a precaution, then she pays it as if it were another type of wealth. So she pays it. If it itself does not reach the nisab (minimum threshold for zakah), but she has other wealth, then she adds it to that and pays zakah on the whole.
Question: Is it not possible to estimate this nisab (minimum threshold for zakah) by the gram currently in circulation?
Answer: I do not know the exact gram currently in circulation, and you can ask the goldsmiths about that, how much a mithqal is worth in relation to the gram.
Question: Is it not a condition that its zakah be of its kind, i.e., gold? Meaning, if you estimate its value and pay, for example, two and a half riyals for every hundred riyals, which is one-quarter of one-tenth, is that permissible for her?
Answer: If you know what is obligatory in it, she may pay its zakah in cash from other currencies.