zakat sur l'or, l'argent et les bijoux

Gold and silver have a special place in zakat law. They're the original basis for the nisab threshold — 85 grams of gold or 595 grams of silver — and they were the first forms of wealth on which zakat was explicitly prescribed. But for modern Muslims, the practical questions are often more nuanced than the basic rule suggests.

the basic rule

If you own gold or silver (in any form) worth more than the nisab, and you've held it for one lunar year, you owe 2.5% of its market value as zakat. The market value is what you'd receive if you sold it today — not what you paid for it, and not the "pure gold" value if the item is alloyed.

For gold: if you own 85 grams or more, zakat is due on the full amount, not just the portion above 85 grams. The nisab is a threshold, not a deduction.

the jewellery debate

This is where it gets interesting, because scholars genuinely disagree. The question: is zakat due on gold and silver jewellery that a woman wears regularly as personal ornaments?

The Hanafi position: Yes, zakat is due on all gold and silver, whether worn or stored. Jewellery is wealth, and wealth above the nisab is zakatable. This is the stricter view and the one followed in most South Asian communities.

The Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali position: No zakat on jewellery that is worn regularly in a customary amount. "Customary" is key — if the amount exceeds what's normal for your social context, the excess is zakatable. Jewellery that's stored and never worn is always zakatable.

In practice, if you follow the Hanafi school, calculate the value of all your gold (worn or not) and include it in your zakat calculation. If you follow one of the other three schools, you may exclude regularly-worn jewellery in reasonable amounts — but stored gold, gold bought as investment, and gold bars are always zakatable regardless of school.

how to value your gold

Use the current market price for your gold's purity. Most jewellery in the Gulf is 21 karat or 22 karat. The calculation:

For silver, the same principle applies but silver's much lower price means the nisab (595 grams) is easier to exceed in monetary terms — roughly $500–600 at current prices.

mixed metals and gemstones

Gemstones (diamonds, rubies, emeralds) are not zakatable unless held for trade. If you have a gold ring with a diamond, only the gold portion is subject to zakat. In practice, you'd estimate the gold weight separately from the stone.

Platinum is not gold or silver, so technically falls outside the traditional zakat categories. Most contemporary scholars treat platinum jewellery like other trade goods — zakatable if held as investment, not if worn as personal ornaments.

gold bought as investment

Gold ETFs, gold savings accounts, gold bars in a vault, and gold coins purchased as a store of value are all unambiguously zakatable under all four schools. There's no "personal use" exemption for investment gold. Value them at market price on your zakat date.