Question: I have some jewelry that I inherited from some relatives and my wife also owns some jewelry. How do we pay Zakat on it in Maliki Fiqh?
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In Maliki Fiqh, the default ruling is that there is no Zakat owed upon gold or silver jewelry. So you or your wife would not owe any Zakat for this. However, there are certain situations where Zakat will be paid on jewelry.
Imam Khalil says that Zakat is not owed on jewelry even if:
1. Even if the jewelry was broken: unless you did not intend to repair it or it was broken beyond repair and needed to be re-cast.
2. It was for yourself as a male: such as a prosthetic, a silver ring, or adorning a copy of the Qur’an unless it was an impermissible usage, such as a gold ring for yourself.
3. It is impermissible for yourself, but it is permissible for a woman such as your wife or daughter- unless it is someone who doesn’t exist yet (for example, you buy it for your future daughter.
For all of the previous categories, if it is one of the mentioned exceptions, then Zakat is owed on it. Likewise, if it is included in the following categories, then Zakat is still owed on it:
1. It is prohibited to own, such as gold utensils.
2. It is bought with the intention to sell it, such as an investment for when the prices rise, or a jeweler.
3. It is bought to be Mehr for a future wife.
4. It was intended for the purpose of selling it if times got tough.
For all of these exceptions, Zakat is owed on it, and it takes the ruling of the normal Zakat on money. In other words, it is treated like money and if a lunar year passes by and you have wealth that exceeds the nisaab value, then Zakat is owed on the cash value of all that wealth, including the jewelry. If you do not have the cash to pay the Zakat on it, then you must sell the jewelry and use it to pay the Zakat.
If it is inlaid with gemstones, then you do not pay Zakat on the weight of the gemstones. You only pay it on the gold/silver. If its gemstones can be removed without damaging it, then you must do that and weight the gold/silver value. If removing the gemstones would damage the piece, then you must get its weight appraised by a jeweler and pay based off that value.
Additionally, if you were planning to sell the jewelry, then you’d pay Zakat on the gemstones as well.
And Allah knows best.
Written by Uthman Qureshi
Source: Al-Sharh Al-Kabir and Hashiyat Al-Dasuqi, Dar Al-Fikr: 1/460
(وَ) لَا فِي (حُلِيٍّ) جَائِزٍ اتِّخَاذُهُ وَلَوْ لِرَجُلٍ (وَإِنْ تَكَسَّرَ إنْ لَمْ يَتَهَشَّمْ) فَإِنْ تَهَشَّمَ بِحَيْثُ لَا يُمْكِنُ إصْلَاحُهُ إلَّا بِسَبْكِهِ وَجَبَتْ فِيهِ لِحَوْلٍ بَعْدَ تَهَشُّمِهِ لِأَنَّهُ صَارَ كَالتِّبْرِ وَسَوَاءٌ نَوَى إصْلَاحَهُ أَمْ لَا (وَ) الْحَالُ أَنَّهُ (لَمْ يَنْوِ عَدَمَ إصْلَاحِهِ) أَيْ الْمُتَكَسِّرِ بِأَنْ نَوَى إصْلَاحَهُ أَوْ لَا نِيَّةَ لَهُ وَالْمُعْتَمَدُ الزَّكَاةُ فِي الثَّانِيَةِ فَلَوْ قَالَ وَنَوَى إصْلَاحَهُ لَوَافَقَ الْمَذْهَبَ فَالزَّكَاةُ فِي خَمْسِ صُوَرٍ فِي الْمُتَهَشِّمِ مُطْلَقًا وَالْمُتَكَسِّرِ إذَا لَمْ يَنْوِ إصْلَاحَهُ بِأَنْ نَوَى عَدَمَ الْإِصْلَاحِ أَوْ لَا نِيَّةَ لَهُ (أَوْ كَانَ) الْحُلِيُّ الْجَائِزُ (لِرَجُلٍ) اتَّخَذَهُ لِنَفْسِهِ كَخَاتَمٍ وَأَنْفٍ وَأَسْنَانٍ وَحِلْيَةِ مُصْحَفٍ وَسَيْفٍ أَوْ اتَّخَذَهُ لِمَنْ يَجُوزُ لَهُ اسْتِعْمَالُهُ كَزَوْجَتِهِ وَابْنَتِهِ وَأَمَتِهِ الْمَوْجُودَاتِ عِنْدَهُ حَالًا وَصَلَحْنَ لِلتَّزَيُّنِ لِكِبَرِهِنَّ فَإِنْ اتَّخَذَهُ لِمَنْ سَيُوجَدُ أَوْ لِمَنْ سَيَصْلُحُ لِصِغَرِهِ الْآنَ فَالزَّكَاةُ (أَوْ) مُتَّخَذًا لِأَجْلِ (كِرَاءٍ) وَلَوْ لِرَجُلٍ فِيمَا يَجُوزُ اسْتِعْمَالُهُ لِلنِّسَاءِ كَالْأَسَاوِرِ عَلَى الْأَرْجَحِ خِلَافًا لِتَشْهِيرِ الْبَاجِيَّ أَوْ إعَارَةٍ فَلَا زَكَاةَ (إلَّا مُحَرَّمًا) كَالْأَوَانِي وَالْمَبَاخِرِ وَمُكْحُلَةٍ وَمِرْوَدٍ وَلَوْ لِامْرَأَةٍ (أَوْ مُعَدًّا لِعَاقِبَةٍ) فَفِيهِ الزَّكَاةُ … إلخ