Is zakat due on jewellery? In the Hanafi madhab and according to the Saudi Permanent Committee (which our Ahl-e-Hadith calculator follows), yes, even if it is worn. In the Shafi’i, Maliki and Hanbali madhabs permissible jewellery that is worn is exempt. According to Ayatollah Sistani it is exempt today.
Jewellery is where the schools differ most, and it is often the biggest item in a family’s zakat. A woman with 10 tola of 22K gold could owe a large amount in one madhab and nothing in another. Below is what each school says, with the source we rely on, and then the practical questions: how to weigh it, what price to use and whose zakat it is.
Is worn jewellery zakatable for Hanafis?
Zakat is due on gold and silver jewellery whether it is worn every day or kept in a locker. Darul Uloom Deoband: “Zakah is wajib on them though they are used daily” (Fatwa 2310/H=713/th=1431). The Hanafi view rests on hadith such as the woman whose daughter wore gold bangles, whom the Prophet ﷺ asked whether she paid their zakat (Abu Dawud 1563).
Is worn jewellery exempt for Shafi’is?
No zakat on permissible jewellery that is worn, as long as it stays within what is customary (around 860 g of gold is the guideline used by MUIS, Singapore, citing al-Majmu’). Jewellery kept as an investment, or men’s gold, is zakatable.
What do the Maliki and Hanbali schools say?
Permissible jewellery that is used or lent out is exempt (Irsyad Fatwa 38 for the Maliki school; Akhsar al-Mukhtasarat for the Hanbali). Jewellery bought to hold value or to trade is zakatable.
Is jewellery zakatable for Ahl-e-Hadith?
“The more correct view is that zakat on jewellery is obligatory if it reaches the nisab” (IslamQA 19901, citing the Permanent Committee). Our Ahl-e-Hadith calculator follows this view; we have not found a Pakistani Ahl-e-Hadith fatwa on it, so check with your own scholar.
Is there zakat on jewellery in Shia fiqh (Sistani)?
Women’s gold and silver ornaments are not zakatable while gold and silver are not used as currency (Islamic Laws, ruling 1916). Khums may still apply to jewellery bought from income on which khums was not paid; see the khums calculator.
How do you value jewellery for zakat?
- Count only the gold or silver. Stones, pearls, lacquer and beads are not zakatable unless you trade in them. If a set weighs 3 tola including stones, ask the jeweller for the gold weight or estimate it.
- Use the purity. 22K is 91.7% pure gold, 21K is 87.5% and 18K is 75%. The calculator applies this when you choose the karat.
- Ignore making charges. What you paid for design and labour is not part of the zakat value.
- Price: scholars say to use the value on your zakat date. Many Pakistani muftis prefer the price a jeweller would pay you, which is a little below the shop price. Our gold rate today page shows the international price, which you can use or replace with your own local rate in the calculator.
- Artificial jewellery carries no zakat in any school.
Who pays: husband or wife?
Zakat is due on the owner. Jewellery given to a bride as her property (from her parents or as mahr) is hers, and it is her zakat, calculated together with her own savings. If she has no cash, she may pay from the jewellery itself, or her husband may pay on her behalf with her permission. Jewellery the husband bought and still owns, which his wife only wears, is his zakat in the Hanafi view. The family mode in our calculator lets you calculate each person separately.
Inherited jewellery follows the same rule as jewellery you bought: it is yours once your share is settled, and your school’s ruling on worn or stored jewellery applies. See zakat on inherited wealth, and the wirasat calculator for each heir’s share of the gold in tola and grams.
Example
Ayesha owns 8 tola of 22K jewellery and Rs 50,000 in savings. In the Hanafi madhab the gold and cash are added and checked against the silver nisab, so zakat is due on both. In the Shafi’i madhab her worn jewellery is exempt and Rs 50,000 is below the nisab, so nothing is due. Try the same numbers in the madhab comparison.
Calculate it now with the zakat on gold calculator, or read how much zakat is due on 1 tola. Families who keep wealth in a plot or a second house rather than in gold should read zakat on property, which explains when a plot is zakatable and when it is not.
Frequently asked questions
Is there zakat on gold I wear every day?
In the Hanafi and Ahl-e-Hadith view, yes. In the Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali view, permissible worn jewellery is exempt. Ayatollah Sistani also exempts it.
Do I pay zakat on the stones in my jewellery?
No. Only the gold or silver content counts, unless you deal in gems as a business.
Biwi ke zevar ki zakat kaun dega?
Jo malik hai. Agar zevar biwi ki milkiyat hai to zakat us par hai; shohar uski ijazat se ada kar sakta hai.
Which price should I use, buying or selling?
The value on your zakat date. Many muftis prefer the selling price (what a jeweller would pay you).
Kya artificial zevar par zakat hai?
Nahi. Artificial zevar par kisi maslak mein zakat nahi; zakat sirf sone aur chandi par hai.
Zevar ki zakat mein nag aur banwai bhi gini jati hai?
Nahi. Sirf sone ya chandi ka wazan gina jata hai; nag, moti aur banwai (making charges) ki qeemat nahi. 22 karat zevar mein sirf khalis sona (91.7%) gina jata hai.