Explanation of the author's statement: "Zakah is obligatory in gold when it reaches twenty mithqals, and in silver when it reaches two hundred dirhams, being one-fifth of a tenth of them."
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The Shaykh : He said, may Allah have mercy on him, "The chapter on the zakah of the two currencies: zakah is obligatory in gold when it reaches twenty mithqals, and in silver when it reaches two hundred dirhams, being one-fifth of a tenth of them". The subject of "obligatory" is "one-fifth of a tenth," meaning that one-fifth of a tenth is obligatory, which is one-fortieth. The benefit of knowing that one-fifth of a tenth is one-fortieth is to facilitate the calculation of zakah from the two currencies. Because if you want to extract it from the two currencies, you divide what you have by forty, and whatever comes out of the division is the zakah. For example, if you have forty million, what is its zakah? One million. It is obtained by dividing by forty, which yields one. So this is the method for extracting zakah. However, he says "in gold when it reaches twenty mithqals" based on the hadith of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said . The Islamic dinar weighs one mithqal, and every ten Islamic dirhams weigh seven mithqals. We have verified this, and it amounts to eighty-five grams of pure gold. If there is a slight mixture in it, it is incidental and does not harm; zakah is obligatory in it even if there is a small amount of something other than gold, because gold must necessarily have some metals added to it to strengthen and harden it; otherwise, it would be soft and malleable. But to harden it, they add some metals to it. However, the scholars say that this addition is slight and incidental, like salt in bread or food; it does not harm. "And in silver when it reaches two hundred dirhams, one-fifth of a tenth of them".
The author, may Allah have mercy on him, considered gold by weight and silver by number. Is this intended or not? The majority of scholars hold that this is not intended, but rather a variation in expression, and that the intended meaning of two hundred dirhams is five awaqi of silver, meaning that the consideration is by weight. So if a person owns one hundred and forty mithqals of silver, which amounts to five hundred and ninety-five grams, then zakah is in it, whether it reaches two hundred dirhams or not. This is the position of most scholars, citing the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)Sunan an-Nasa'i 2486Sahih (Darussalam). By what is silver considered?
The questioner : By weight.
The Shaykh : By weight. And Shaykh al-Islam said that the consideration is by number, based on the hadith of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote in what he wrote regarding alms. The point of evidence with this hadith in his view is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified it by number. In the time of the Messenger, dirhams were not uniform in weight; some dirhams were heavier than others. Yet the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified it by number despite their difference in weight, which indicates that number is the criterion, because dirhams were not standardized until the time of 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, who standardized them at this amount: every ten dirhams equal seven mithqals. Based on the saying of the Shaykh, may Allah have mercy on him, if the dirhams were one hundred mithqals—meaning if the two hundred dirhams were only one hundred mithqals—then zakah would be in it. And according to those who consider weight, there is no zakah in it. If it is one hundred and thirty mithqals, but two hundred dirhams in number, then zakah is in it according to the Shaykh, but there is no zakah in it according to the majority. So we ask: is it more cautious to consider the number, or is it more cautious to consider the weight?
The questioner : It depends.
The Shaykh : No, ... weight.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : And not the number, because if the dirhams are heavy in weight, then considering the weight is more cautious, and if they are light, then considering...
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : If their weight is heavy, then considering the weight is more cautious, because fifty dirhams might amount to five awaqi, for example, if they are heavy. And if they are light, then considering the number is more cautious, because if the dirham, for example, does not reach half a mithqal, then there is no doubt that the number is more cautious. But the hadiths, as you see, are contradictory.Sunan an-Nasa'i 2473Sahih (Darussalam) Its apparent meaning is whether it reaches two hundred dirhams in number or not. And the hadith of Abu Bakr that he wrote in the alms Muwatta Malik 17:25 is explicit, and the explicit text takes precedence over the implied meaning, as is known in the principles of jurisprudence. If someone were to say that the criterion is the more cautious option, then if considering the number is more cautious, zakah is obligatory. And when is considering the number more cautious?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : When they are light. And if the weight is more cautious, then zakah is obligatory, which is when they are heavy. If someone were to go to that, it would not be far from the truth. And for a long time, the number has had no share for the poor, because the weight of the nisab is fifty-six Saudi riyals of silver, fifty-six. If we considered the number, it would be slightly more than a quarter, more than a quarter of the nisab. If we considered the number, we would say zakah is not obligatory except in what? Two hundred dirhams. And likewise we say in gold: if we considered the number, twenty dinars, we would say no zakah except in twenty pounds. And if we considered the weight, we would say zakah is in ten dirhams and how much? Fifty-eight grams. How much did we say? Ten pounds?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Five ... grams amount to ten and a half pounds approximately. So if we considered the number, we would say it is not obligatory except in twenty pounds. And if we considered the weight, we would say when it reaches twenty mithqals, zakah is obligatory in it, whether it is twenty dinars or less or more. So we say that the one who wants to be cautious takes the more cautious option.
If you have gold—or he said—dynars, and it reaches twenty dynars, then in it is half a dynar.
إذا كان عندك ذهب -أو قال- دنانير فبلغ عشرين دينارا ففيها نصف دينارThe author, may Allah have mercy on him, considered gold by weight and silver by number. Is this intended or not? The majority of scholars hold that this is not intended, but rather a variation in expression, and that the intended meaning of two hundred dirhams is five awaqi of silver, meaning that the consideration is by weight. So if a person owns one hundred and forty mithqals of silver, which amounts to five hundred and ninety-five grams, then zakah is in it, whether it reaches two hundred dirhams or not. This is the position of most scholars, citing the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)
No Sadaqah is due on less than five Awaq.
ليس فيما دون خمس أواق صدقةThe questioner : By weight.
The Shaykh : By weight. And Shaykh al-Islam said that the consideration is by number, based on the hadith of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote in what he wrote regarding alms
And in silver, if it reaches two hundred dirhams, one-fifth of a tenth. If it is only one hundred and ninety, then there is no alms in it except what the Lord wills.
وفي الرّقة إذا بلغت مائتي درهم ربع العشر فإن لم يكن إلا تسعون ومائة فليس فيها صدقة إلا أن يشاء ربهاThe questioner : It depends.
The Shaykh : No, ... weight.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : And not the number, because if the dirhams are heavy in weight, then considering the weight is more cautious, and if they are light, then considering...
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : If their weight is heavy, then considering the weight is more cautious, because fifty dirhams might amount to five awaqi, for example, if they are heavy. And if they are light, then considering the number is more cautious, because if the dirham, for example, does not reach half a mithqal, then there is no doubt that the number is more cautious. But the hadiths, as you see, are contradictory.
No Sadaqah is due on anything less than five Awaq
ليس فيما دون خمسة أواق صدقةOn silver, if it reaches five awaq (two hundred dirhams),
في الرّقَة إذا بلغت مائتي درهمThe questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : When they are light. And if the weight is more cautious, then zakah is obligatory, which is when they are heavy. If someone were to go to that, it would not be far from the truth. And for a long time, the number has had no share for the poor, because the weight of the nisab is fifty-six Saudi riyals of silver, fifty-six. If we considered the number, it would be slightly more than a quarter, more than a quarter of the nisab. If we considered the number, we would say zakah is not obligatory except in what? Two hundred dirhams. And likewise we say in gold: if we considered the number, twenty dinars, we would say no zakah except in twenty pounds. And if we considered the weight, we would say zakah is in ten dirhams and how much? Fifty-eight grams. How much did we say? Ten pounds?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Five ... grams amount to ten and a half pounds approximately. So if we considered the number, we would say it is not obligatory except in twenty pounds. And if we considered the weight, we would say when it reaches twenty mithqals, zakah is obligatory in it, whether it is twenty dinars or less or more. So we say that the one who wants to be cautious takes the more cautious option.