How Can I Pay My Previous Year’s Zakah in Cash or Gold/Silver?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
As an example, someone has possessed 100g of gold and 1000g of silver for ten years and hasn’t yet paid Zakat for it. The date of the first time his wealth reached the nisab has already been estimated. Also, the amount of additional cash savings throughout the years on that particular date has been estimated.
If he wants to pay the due Zakat in cash, how does he go about calculating the total value? Also, if he wants to pay in gold and/or silver, how does he go about calculating it?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I pray you are well. Thank you for your question.
The value of gold and silver will be determined separately for Zakat purposes.
Steps
Step 1: If you want to pay in cash, first you need to find out the worth of gold and silver, each. The value of gold and silver will be determined separately for Zakat purposes.
Either contact your local jeweler, they can tell you the current value of your gold and silver assets. They can do this in two ways:
They can give you the current value they would buy your gold/silver at if you were to sell it, or they can give you the weight of the gold/silver and you can calculate the value using today’s live gold/silver price in grams – this is known as the universal measurement.
This is perhaps most suitable to ensure 100% accuracy, or you may use these calculators, one is UK based, other is USA based:
- NZF (UK based Zakat Calculator)
- SeekersGuidance Zakat Calculator (USA Based Zakat Calculator)
When paying for missed Zakat on gold/silver one will take into account the value of gold/silver in the previous years. Therefore, work out how much your gold/silver was worth in the previous years on your Zakat day.
Regarding historical nisab of the previous years you may visit:
Gold Price per Gram UK in GBP Sterling (£) – BullionByPost
Silver Price – Track the Live Silver Price UK | BullionByPost®
Gold Price in USD per Gram for Last Month (bullionbypost.co.uk)
Silver Price in USD per Troy Ounce for Last Week (bullionbypost.co.uk)
Step 3: Add cash on hand, bank, money owed to you.
Step 4: Minus creditors (money you owe others, i.e., take off what you owe).
Step 5: You will give 2.5% of gold/silver in cash or in gold/silver.
Related:
Zakat: How to Calculate & Whom to Give
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on Seekersguidance?
I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
