Should I Pay Zakat on All Gold Received as Wedding Gifts?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

Should I pay zakat on all 150g of gold received as wedding gifts or only above the nisab (87g), and should I calculate it in my home or current country’s currency? Can I also deduct a loan owed to my mother, though my husband is responsible for it?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. May Allah alleviate our difficulties and guide us to what pleases Him. Amin.

In the Shafi‘i School, there is no zakat due on lawful jewelry intended for personal use, even if its weight exceeds the nisab (87.48 grams of gold) (please read the details in the linked answers). Zakat is only due if the gold is in the form of currency, nuggets, or coins, etc. If your 150 grams of gold includes non-jewelry forms, zakat is obligatory on the entire amount if it reaches or exceeds the nisab, regardless of whether it exceeds this threshold by a small or large amount. [Nawawi, al-Majmu‘]

The nisab represents the minimum amount that makes zakat obligatory and is equivalent to the value of 87.48 grams of gold. For instance, if your gold meets or exceeds this value, you would calculate 2.5% on the full amount, due each lunar year.

Your zakat calculation should be in the currency you currently use, as this represents the immediate market value. Regarding the loan that your husband owes to your mother, that is his debt, and moreover, debt does not excuse one from paying zakat, you may read the details here.

I pray this is of benefit and that Allah guides us all.

[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Mohammad Abu Bakr Badhib

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.