Islamic Fiqh > Zakat > Zakat on gold, silver and savings
How to calculate and pay zakat on savings, jewellery and accounts: the schools' views and practical cases.
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Updated on 06 October 2026 at 10:50 PM
Gold and silver are zakatable by consensus of every age (Ibn al-Mundhir): hoarded, coined or melted. The Quranic threat targets « those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend it in the path of Allah » (Surah at-Tawba, 34, 35), and the hadith of Abu Hurayra describes the punishment of one who fails to pay their due (Muslim 987). Money savings, on whatever medium, follow the same regime from the threshold of 20 dinars or 200 dirhams, with a quarter of the tenth each year.
First view, that of the majority: Malikis, Shafiites in the reliable position, Hanbalis, reported from Jabir, Ibn Umar, Anas, Aisha and Asma: a woman owes nothing on her lawful jewellery that she wears or lends, for zakatable wealth is what grows or is prepared for growth, and adornment has left growth through use. Ibn Umar adorned his daughters and paid nothing; Aisha did not pay zakat on her jewellery and ruled the same for her orphan nieces.
Second view: Hanafis, one Shafii and Hanbali position: zakat is due on lawful jewellery that reaches the threshold, worn or stored. The proofs: « O women, give charity, even from your jewellery » (al-Bukhari 1466, Muslim 1000), the report of Ibn Masud in Abd al-Razzaq, and the hadith of the woman with 2 heavy gold bracelets whom the Prophet asked: « Have you paid the zakat on these? Pay it, otherwise you would be more exposed to having 2 bracelets of fire made for you on the Day of Resurrection » (Abu Dawud 4289, at-Tirmidhi 637, good hadith).
The Messenger of Allah entered upon me and saw silver rings on my hand. He said: « What is this, Aisha? » I said: « I made them to adorn myself for you, Messenger of Allah. » He said: « Do you pay their zakat?
» I said: « No, or as Allah wills. » He said: « That would be enough for you against the Fire. »
Abu Dawud 1565, ad-Daraqutni, al-Bayhaqi
Vessels of gold and silver and every unlawful use of these metals bear zakat by consensus of the Muslims, as reported by an-Nawawi: lawful use of the metal is where the debate lies, not the forbidden use.
an-Nawawi rules: no zakat on gems, rubies, turquoises, pearls, coral, emeralds, nor on iron, copper or glass however precious, nor on musk and amber, unless destined for trade; this is the view of most of the early generations. Another position of Ahmad requires zakat if their value reaches the threshold. Several scholars, among them al-Hasan, Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, al-Zuhri and Abu Yusuf, imposed the fifth on ambergris, and Abdullah ibn al-Hasan on everything drawn from the sea except fish.
What separates the 2 schools on jewellery is actual use: worn for lawful adornment, jewellery falls outside zakat for the majority; stored as a reserve of value, it rejoins savings and becomes zakatable by all. The rule for savings remains that of the 2 currencies: threshold, year and 2.5 per cent.
Bada'i al-Sana'i by al-Kasani · Hanafi school
...according to al-Shafi'i, except for trade goods: their complete nisab is considered at the end of the year, and is not considered at the beginning and the middle, to the extent that if the value of trade goods at the beginning of the year was one hundred dirhams, and their value became two hundred at the end of the year, zakat is due from him.
The sense of Zufar's view is that the lapse of the year upon the nisab is a condition for zakat's obligation, and there is no nisab in the middle of the year, so the lapse of the year upon it is not conceivable; hence, if the nisab perishes during the year, the ruling of the year is severed.
As for what follows of his statement, the meaning is that value, for gold and silver, is devoid of legal consideration, for all other things are measured by them; only weight is considered therein. Do you not see that whoever owns a silver ewer weighing one hundred twenty-five dirhams, whose value is two hundred dirhams, owes no zakat upon it?
Likewise, whoever owns golden vessels weighing ten mithqal, whose value is two hundred dirhams, owes no zakat.