The Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen said: "The majority is on the first opinion, and consensus has been reported.
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The questioner : The majority is on the first opinion, and consensus has been reported, and the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) verified the second, meaning that the standard is the dinar and dirham customary in each time and place according to its circumstances. So whatever is called a dinar or a dirham, the rulings attached to the name of the dinar and dirham are established for it, whether the amount of gold or silver in it is little or much. This is the stronger position in my view because it agrees with the apparent meaning of the texts. Accordingly, the nisab of gold is twenty dinars and the nisab of silver is two hundred riyals. If a person takes caution and acts according to the opinion of the majority, he has done what he will be rewarded for, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : Which is more cautious? If you say the more cautious is the opinion of the majority, we say that is wrong. If you say the standard is according to each time, we say that is wrong.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : ... No, the more cautious is correct. The more cautious is to take the lesser, meaning what reached the nisab first. For example, if we estimate that two hundred dirhams do not reach one hundred and forty mithqals, because the nisab by weight, according to the opinion of the majority, is one hundred and forty mithqals, and if we estimate that two hundred dirhams do not reach one hundred and forty mithqals, what is the more cautious?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, the more cautious is the second opinion, the number, because two hundred dirhams reached the number, while the weight is less than that. And if we estimate that two hundred dirhams do not exceed one hundred and forty mithqals, meaning they become two hundred mithqals, what is the more cautious? The opinion of the majority. Yes, yes, yes.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, yes.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No ... of gold considering the dinar, and of silver considering the dirham, meaning distributed. Okay, now the nisab considering weight is fifty-six riyals, and considering number is two hundred. This means it is close to a quarter, because the nisab by weight is close to a quarter of the number. Fifty-six compared to two hundred is slightly more than a quarter.
In any case, the caution is to act in what is more cautious for the one entitled to zakah. If the nisab is reached by number before weight, we take the opinion of the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah because it is more cautious. And if the nisab is reached by weight before it is reached by number, we take the opinion of the majority because it is more cautious. Yes.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, that is correct.
The questioner : By weight?
The Shaykh : By weight.
The questioner : And if...
The Shaykh : No ... it is known. If it becomes larger, it becomes less. Do you know the French riyal? Do you know it? The nisab in the French riyal is twenty-three and a third, because it has a lot of silver in it. How?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, yes. No, but does every one who reports consensus mean that it is actual consensus? I mean, refer to Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) in "al-Sawa'iq al-Mursalah", where he mentioned more than twenty issues in which consensus was reported, but there is no consensus in them. Consensus was also reported from imams like al-Shafi'i and others, but there is no consensus in them. And I have previously conveyed to you that some of them said, "They agreed on rejecting the testimony of a slave," and another said, "They agreed on accepting the testimony of a slave." Yes.
The Shaykh : Which is more cautious? If you say the more cautious is the opinion of the majority, we say that is wrong. If you say the standard is according to each time, we say that is wrong.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : ... No, the more cautious is correct. The more cautious is to take the lesser, meaning what reached the nisab first. For example, if we estimate that two hundred dirhams do not reach one hundred and forty mithqals, because the nisab by weight, according to the opinion of the majority, is one hundred and forty mithqals, and if we estimate that two hundred dirhams do not reach one hundred and forty mithqals, what is the more cautious?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, the more cautious is the second opinion, the number, because two hundred dirhams reached the number, while the weight is less than that. And if we estimate that two hundred dirhams do not exceed one hundred and forty mithqals, meaning they become two hundred mithqals, what is the more cautious? The opinion of the majority. Yes, yes, yes.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, yes.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No ... of gold considering the dinar, and of silver considering the dirham, meaning distributed. Okay, now the nisab considering weight is fifty-six riyals, and considering number is two hundred. This means it is close to a quarter, because the nisab by weight is close to a quarter of the number. Fifty-six compared to two hundred is slightly more than a quarter.
In any case, the caution is to act in what is more cautious for the one entitled to zakah. If the nisab is reached by number before weight, we take the opinion of the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah because it is more cautious. And if the nisab is reached by weight before it is reached by number, we take the opinion of the majority because it is more cautious. Yes.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, that is correct.
The questioner : By weight?
The Shaykh : By weight.
The questioner : And if...
The Shaykh : No ... it is known. If it becomes larger, it becomes less. Do you know the French riyal? Do you know it? The nisab in the French riyal is twenty-three and a third, because it has a lot of silver in it. How?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, yes. No, but does every one who reports consensus mean that it is actual consensus? I mean, refer to Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) in "al-Sawa'iq al-Mursalah", where he mentioned more than twenty issues in which consensus was reported, but there is no consensus in them. Consensus was also reported from imams like al-Shafi'i and others, but there is no consensus in them. And I have previously conveyed to you that some of them said, "They agreed on rejecting the testimony of a slave," and another said, "They agreed on accepting the testimony of a slave." Yes.