Q: 114 – Title: What is the correct method to determine the value of gold jewellery for Zakat payment? Method 1, 2 or else?

Question

Subject: How to determine value of gold jewellery for Zakat payment.

My wife possesses gold jewellery. Usually gold jewellery is made up of gold mixed with some other metal e.g. copper. In market, per unit cost of pure gold is different from gold jewellery. One method is that we get weighed the jewellery and estimate the cost using per unit cost of gold jewellery. The second method might be to take the jewellery to a jeweler and get estimated the amount of pure gold used in the jewellery. Then calculate the cost using per unit cost of pure gold.

What is the correct method to determine the value of gold jewellery for Zakat payment? Method 1, 2 or else?

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Assalamu 'alaykum wa Rahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

The amount of nis?b is 87.48 grams of gold or 612.36 grams of silver. If a person owns gold, silver or cash to the value of the nisab he will have to give zakah. The most common practice in South Africa is where the woman take the jewellery to a jeweller and have it weighed. The jeweller will tell you exactly how much of gold one possesses and will even tell you what zaka’at you ought to pay. You should find out the price of gold/silver in Pakistan and calculate it to the above given nisab.

And Allah Taaala Knows Best
Wassalamu 'alaykum

Ml. Ebrahim Desai,
Student Darul Ifta

Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Ifta, Madrasah Inaamiyyah