Is zakat also obligatory upon a woman's gold jewellery in use? I have heard that there is no zakat on jewellery that is worn. If there is zakat, what is its nisab, of which day will the price be taken, and what is the ruling on the past years for which I did not give zakat?

Regarding the zakat of gold jewellery that is worn, there are two well-known views of the scholars: - The view of the majority (Malikis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis): Jewellery which is for permissible use carries no zakat — it is like the other articles of household use. Their evidence is the reports of some Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, from which it is established that they did not give zakat of their households' jewellery. - The view of the Hanafis and the proponents of obligation: Whether it is jewellery or not, gold in its essence is growing wealth; when it reaches the nisab and a year passes over it, zakat is obligatory. In the view of this Dar al-Ifta, the second view is preponderant in the light of the evidences, the detail of which is coming ahead. This is also the position adopted by Shaykh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, and Al-Lajnah Ad-Da'imah — in the Lajnah's fatwa (No. 1521) it is explicit that a woman's jewellery, whether for wearing or for lending, gold or silver, carries obligatory zakat, because it comes under those general evidences of the Book and the Sunnah which make zakat obligatory in gold and silver.

- Allah Almighty's saying: ﴿وَالَّذِينَ يَكْنِزُونَ الذَّهَبَ وَالْفِضَّةَ وَلَا يُنفِقُونَهَا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ﴾ (Surah at-Tawbah: 34) — this generality includes every form of gold; there is no explicit evidence for excluding jewellery from it. - It is narrated from Abdullah ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with them both, that a woman came with her daughter; on the child's hand were two thick gold bracelets. The Prophet ﷺ asked: “Do you give the zakat of these?” She said: No. He said: “Would you like Allah to make you wear, in their place, two bracelets of fire on the Day of Resurrection?” Hearing this, she took off both bracelets and presented them (Sunan Abi Dawud: 1563; hasan according to Al-Albani, may Allah have mercy on him). This incident relates to jewellery itself, and the excuse of use was not accepted in it. - Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, used to wear gold awdah (jewellery); she asked: O Messenger of Allah! Is this kanz (treasure)? He said: “Wealth that reaches the nisab and whose zakat is paid is not kanz” (Sunan Abi Dawud: 1564) — that is, when jewellery too reaches the nisab, it comes out of the ruling of kanz only through zakat.

The nisab of gold is twenty mithqal — seven and a half tolas, i.e. approximately 85 grams of pure gold. A woman who has this amount or more of gold — whether jewellery or in any other form, or gold, cash and trade goods together make up the nisab — and a lunar year passes over it, then two and a half percent (one fortieth) zakat is obligatory upon her. The price will be taken of the day on which zakat became obligatory (the day of the completion of the year), according to the current market rate; the purchase price will not be looked at. Zakat can be paid in cash; it is not necessary that it be taken out from the jewellery itself. If there is no cash, she may sell some portion of the jewellery and pay, or if the husband etc. pay on her behalf with her permission, it is permissible.

- A woman who knew that there is zakat on jewellery and still did not pay, she should now pay the zakat of all the past years — this is the explicit statement of Shaykh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him (Majmu' Fatawa: 14/112 and what follows). - One who kept not paying out of ignorance and did not even know of this view, then after coming to know she should pay every year in the future; regarding the period of ignorance in an issue in which the disagreement of the scholars is well known, Shaykh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, has declared payment from the future onward alone to be obligatory. So the questioner should become regular from today and repent — this very thing is the purity of her wealth.

A Maqasid-based caution: Zakat is the protection of wealth and the right of the poor; jewellery is indeed a woman's adornment, but when it becomes a store equal to the nisab, the right of the needy arises in it. Paying zakat does not decrease wealth; it makes it pure and protected.

Translated from the original Urdu fatwa.