Zakat
The Question
I have some gold jewellery that I inherited and some savings in gold. How much gold must I own before zakāt becomes obligatory, and how do I calculate it?
The Answer
The niṣāb for zakāt on gold is 85 grams of pure gold (equivalent to 20 mithqāl or 7.5 tolas). If one possesses this amount or more — and it has been in one’s ownership for a complete lunar year (ḥawl) — zakāt becomes obligatory.
The zakāt rate on gold is 2.5% of the total value held.
There is a scholarly difference of opinion regarding gold jewellery worn regularly. The Ḥanafī school considers zakāt obligatory on all gold regardless of use. The Mālikī, Shāfiʿī, and Ḥanbalī schools do not consider zakāt obligatory on jewellery used for personal adornment. Out of caution, paying zakāt on all gold is the safer position.
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