Explanation of the author's statement: "And gold is added to silver in completing the nisab."
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The Shaykh : He says, "A quarter of a tenth of them, and gold is added to silver in completing the nisab". But is it added by parts or by value? Is gold added to silver in completing the nisab by parts or by value? Now we are looking into three things. First, is gold added to silver or not? Second, if it is added, is it added by parts or by value? These are three matters.
The first is: Is gold added to silver in completing the nisab? There are two opinions among the scholars. The first opinion is that it is added, and the second opinion is that it is not added. The first opinion has no evidence from the Qur'an, nor from the Sunnah, nor from scholarly consensus that it is added, nor from valid analogical reasoning. The second opinion is that it is added. They say that the purpose of the two currencies is one; dinars are intended for buying, and silver is intended for buying, so they are the values of things, and their purpose is one. Based on this, some of them are added to others in completing the nisab. However, the correct opinion is the first, based on the indication of the Sunnah regarding this, and also based on valid analogical reasoning. There is no scholarly consensus on this, neither for this nor for that.
The evidence from the Sunnah is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said,Sunan an-Nasa'i 2486Sahih (Darussalam) This includes the case where one has gold that completes the five awqiya' and the case where he does not have enough to complete it. Likewise, he said regarding dinars: if you have twenty dinars, this includes the case where one has less than twenty and the case where he has twenty. This means that if he has less than twenty, there is no zakah on him, whether he has silver that completes it or not.
As for analogical reasoning, we say that barley is not added to wheat in completing the nisab. If a person has half a nisab of barley and half a nisab of wheat, one is not added to the other, even though their purpose, especially in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), is one, which is that they are staple foods. And yet, one is not added to the other, even according to those who hold that gold is added to silver. Therefore, valid analogical reasoning indicates that gold is not added to silver. If he has ten dinars and one hundred dirhams, there is no zakah on him, for there is no zakah on him because the gold is alone and the silver is alone.
As for the opinion that it is added, is it added by parts or by value? The school of thought holds that it is added by parts, not by value. The difference becomes apparent through an example. If a person has one-third of a nisab of gold and half a nisab of silver, and the value of one-third of the nisab of gold equals half a nisab of silver, is the gold added to the silver according to those who say it is added by parts?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Imagine, my brothers, he has one-third of a nisab of gold that equals half a nisab of silver, meaning its value is one hundred dirhams, and he has one hundred dirhams, meaning half a nisab of silver. And we said that gold is added to silver by parts. Is it added or not?
The questioner : It is not added.
The Shaykh : It is not added. Why? Because he has one-third of a nisab of gold and half a nisab of silver. The total is a nisab minus one-sixth. It has not reached the nisab. Based on this, there is no zakah on him according to the school of thought. As for the one who says the value is what is considered, he adds the gold to the silver and completes the nisab, because the value of one-third of the nisab of gold equals one hundred dirhams, so he now has two hundred dirhams, and he pays zakah on them. The correct opinion is the first, that gold is not added to silver in completing the nisab. Then, the correct opinion among those who say it is added is that it is added by parts, not by value, except, note, the funds of money changers are excluded from this issue.
The first is: Is gold added to silver in completing the nisab? There are two opinions among the scholars. The first opinion is that it is added, and the second opinion is that it is not added. The first opinion has no evidence from the Qur'an, nor from the Sunnah, nor from scholarly consensus that it is added, nor from valid analogical reasoning. The second opinion is that it is added. They say that the purpose of the two currencies is one; dinars are intended for buying, and silver is intended for buying, so they are the values of things, and their purpose is one. Based on this, some of them are added to others in completing the nisab. However, the correct opinion is the first, based on the indication of the Sunnah regarding this, and also based on valid analogical reasoning. There is no scholarly consensus on this, neither for this nor for that.
The evidence from the Sunnah is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
No Sadaqah is due on less than five Awaq.
ليس فيما دون خمس أواق صدقةAs for analogical reasoning, we say that barley is not added to wheat in completing the nisab. If a person has half a nisab of barley and half a nisab of wheat, one is not added to the other, even though their purpose, especially in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), is one, which is that they are staple foods. And yet, one is not added to the other, even according to those who hold that gold is added to silver. Therefore, valid analogical reasoning indicates that gold is not added to silver. If he has ten dinars and one hundred dirhams, there is no zakah on him, for there is no zakah on him because the gold is alone and the silver is alone.
As for the opinion that it is added, is it added by parts or by value? The school of thought holds that it is added by parts, not by value. The difference becomes apparent through an example. If a person has one-third of a nisab of gold and half a nisab of silver, and the value of one-third of the nisab of gold equals half a nisab of silver, is the gold added to the silver according to those who say it is added by parts?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Imagine, my brothers, he has one-third of a nisab of gold that equals half a nisab of silver, meaning its value is one hundred dirhams, and he has one hundred dirhams, meaning half a nisab of silver. And we said that gold is added to silver by parts. Is it added or not?
The questioner : It is not added.
The Shaykh : It is not added. Why? Because he has one-third of a nisab of gold and half a nisab of silver. The total is a nisab minus one-sixth. It has not reached the nisab. Based on this, there is no zakah on him according to the school of thought. As for the one who says the value is what is considered, he adds the gold to the silver and completes the nisab, because the value of one-third of the nisab of gold equals one hundred dirhams, so he now has two hundred dirhams, and he pays zakah on them. The correct opinion is the first, that gold is not added to silver in completing the nisab. Then, the correct opinion among those who say it is added is that it is added by parts, not by value, except, note, the funds of money changers are excluded from this issue.