Zakah not obligatory for gold kept as jewelry

9-3-2015 | IslamWeb

Question:

Salam I am so confused about paying zakat on personal use gold I have been told so many different opinion about not having to pay it on personal use gold but now I have started to pay zakat just to be safe. I have been told I have to pay all the years that have past even though I was unaware of it how is that fair if you did not have the knowledge how can you be judge on it . It was not out knowing and neglecting it . also I do not work and sold half of my gold where do I get the money . To pay all the 11 years that have past please help this is worrying me quite a lot . May allah reward you

---

Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. 

Dear Sister, you are not obliged to pay Zakah for jewelry, neither now nor for the past years; this is the view of the majority of the scholars.

Ibn Qudaamah said: "There is no Zakah for the jewelry of a woman if she wears it or loans it out; this is the dominant view of the (Hanbali) School. This is narrated from Ibn ‘Umar, Jaabir, Anas, ‘Aa’ishah and Asmaa’ . This is also the view of Al-Qaasim, Ash-Sha‘bi, Qataadah, Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, ‘Amrah, Maalik, Ash-Shaafi‘i, Abu ‘Ubayd, Is-haaq and Abu Thawr. "

For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 89106and 83665.

If you want to pay Zakah for your jewelry in order to be on the safe side, then you may do so.

Allaah Knows best.