Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear Brother,

ASAK,
I had asked you a question a few days back and requested your self to reply on my personal mail adderss i.e., the but unfortunately I am not able to open that box, I hereby request yourself to reply to my question which is as follows to the address above i.e. i would be highly obliged as ramadan is nearing to an end.

my question is my husband is out of job for quite some time our house hold expenses runs only on one income that is mine, with great difficulty we try to make both ends meet. we have a lot of loans, but i have two small sets of jewellery which i do not use that was given to me at the time i got married and also i have some small gold trinklets sets few bangles, and finger rings which i wear daily to my office, kindly let me know should i pay zakat on that and if yes how much, and also let me know what is the calculations on fitra.

kindly let me know as soon as possible.

thank you once again

allahhafiz 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Zakat on personal jewellery

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Ref: Zakah calculations

If the total value of your wealth is more than the ‘nisaab’ of 7.5 tolas of gold (about 85 grams or appx. value US$1,000.00), then zakah is payable on the excess wealth which you have in your possession for one full calendar year; and the zakah calculation is 2.5% of that excess wealth only.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 1558 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As

A woman came to the Messenger of Allah (saws) and she was accompanied by her daughter who wore two heavy gold bangles in her hands. He (saws) said to her: “Do you pay zakat on them?” She said: ‘No.’ He (saws) then said: “Are you pleased that Allah may put two bangles of fire on your hands?” Thereupon she took them off and placed them before the Prophet (saws) saying: “They are for Allah and His Messenger (saws).”

Ref: Fitra calculation

We assume that you mean ‘zakat-ul-fitr’ when you say ‘fitra’. The minimum amount that one must give as ‘zakat-ul-fitr’ is determined by the following narration of the Messenger of Allah (saws):

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 2.579

Allah's Apostle (saws) enjoined the payment of one Sa' of dates or one Sa' of barley as Zakat-ul-Fitr on every Muslim slave or free, male or female, young or old, and he ordered that it be paid before the people went out to offer the 'Id prayer.

Al-Bukhari and Muslim relate that: "The Prophet(saws) enjoined the payment of one sa' of dates or one sa' of barley as zakat ul-fitr on every Muslim, young and old, male and female, free and slave."

Al-Baihaqi and ad-Daraqutni relate: "The Messenger of Allah (saws) enjoined the zakat ul-fitr, and also said: 'Free them (the poor) from want on this day.'"

The required amount of zakat ul-fitr is one sa' of wheat, barley, raisins, dry cottage cheese (aqit), rice, corn, or similar items considered as basic foods (qut). Abu Hanifah made it permissible to set aside, as a zakat ul-fitr, an equivalent value and also said that if the payer pays in wheat, one-half of a sa' would be sufficient. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported: "We used to give on behalf of every child, old person, freeman, and slave during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (saws), one sa' of food, or one sa' of dried cottage cheese, or one sa' of barley, or one sa' of dates, or one sa' of raisins as zakat ul-fitr. Abu Sa'id contended: "I would continue to give as I used to give, namely, one sa' as long as I live." This is related by most hadith narrators. At-Tirmidhi remarks: "Some of the scholars gave one sa' from every charitable item [which is accepted as a sound practice]." Ash-Shaf'i and Ishaq sustain this view but some other scholars gave one sa' from every charitable item except wheat, of which only half a sa' would be sufficient. This is the saying of Sufyan, Ibn al-Mubarak, and the scholars of Kufah.

One Saa' is equal to four (4) Mudd, and one (1) Mudd is equal to the amount held by cupping the two hands together. It is a measure by volume not by weight. As the amount would differ if we compare the value of one saa' of dates to one saa' of barley for example. Since a saa' of barley is approximately $2.00, while a saa' of dates ranges -according to quality from $1.50 - $60.00!; the scholars are unanimous in their opinion that the minimum amount per person as zakat-ul-fitr in this day and age is about $2.50 per person.

It is preferable (and some scholars say mandatory) to give the zakat-ul-fitr as food to the poor and needy of the society. But if one is not able to personally give out the food as zakat-ul-fitr, it is permissible to give the equivalent amount to an organization who collects the zakat-ul-fitr; and they in turn will purchase the food on your behalf and give it to the poor and needy.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan