Property for Zakaah & Nisaab

Q. On what kind of belongings is zakaah fard?

A. On silver, gold, and all types of merchandise (trading goods).

Q. Does “silver and gold” include silver and gold coins, or something else?

A. Zakaah on all things of silver and gold, gold coins, silver currency, jewelry, utensils, gold and silver laces, etc. is fard.

Q. Is zakaah fard on jewels and gems?

A. If the jewels and gems are meant for trade, zakaah is fard, otherwise not. Even if they are valuable, if they are not for trade, zakaah is not fard.

Q. What is the ruling if one has currency notes of the amount of nisaab?

A. Zakaah is fard on that.

Q. If one has some silver and some gold but not nisaab of each, is zakaah fard?

A. Both should be valued in terms of silver or gold and added together. If they equal the nisaab of either, zakaah is fard.

Q. If one has a little quantity of gold equal to silver nisaab but no silver or money, is zakaah fard?

A. No, zakaah is not fard in this condition.

Q. What is meant by merchandise?

A. Goods meant for sale or profit — food, cloth, sugar, shoes, etc.

Q. What is the nisaab?

A. A fixed standard of valuables on which zakaah becomes fard. When a person owns that amount, zakaah becomes fard.

Q. What is the nisaab of silver?

A. 200 dirham (pure silver coins), about 612 grams.

Q. What will be the zakaah of 612 grams of silver?

A. 1/40th (2.5%), which is about 15.5 grams.

Q. What is the nisaab of gold?

A. 20 deenaar, about 88 grams. Zakaah is again 1/40th.

Q. What is the nisaab of merchandise?

A. Calculate its value using silver or gold, then give zakaah according to that nisaab.