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The issue of paying zakat on gold jewelry worn for daily adornment has been discussed by scholars, with differing opinions.
ٍSome scholars hold that zakat is obligatory on all gold and silver once it reaches the nisab threshold, whether it is worn regularly or stored.
Their evidence is the generality of the Prophet’s ﷺ words regarding zakat on gold and silver, without specifying its usage.
Among the evidence is the hadith reported by Abu Dawood and others, wherein a woman came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with her daughter wearing gold bracelets. The Prophet ﷺ asked her, “Do you pay zakat on this?” She said, “No.” The Prophet ﷺ replied, “Would you like Allah to make you wear two bracelets of fire on the Day of Resurrection?” (Abu Dawood, authenticated by Al-Albani). This hadith clearly shows that the Prophet ﷺ considered zakat obligatory even on personal-use jewelry.
Furthermore, zakat is due because gold remains a form of wealth that retains value and grows (potentially), fitting the definition of wealth subject to zakat (maal naamī). This aligns with the purpose of zakat, which is to purify wealth and prevent hoarding without benefit to the community.
However, other scholars, including the Shafi‘is, Malikis, and a narration from Ahmad ibn Hanbal, opined that zakat is not obligatory on jewelry used for permissible adornment. They based their view on the general fiqh principle that personal-use items, such as clothes, homes, and tools, are exempt from zakat, and they included jewelry under this category. Additionally, some questioned the strength of the narrations requiring zakat on jewelry, or interpreted them as applying to jewelry that was hoarded and not used, rather than to what was worn regularly.
They also cited the general maxim that Islam seeks ease and does not intend hardship for its followers, and requiring women to pay zakat annually on their personal ornaments was, according to them, a burden not explicitly commanded.
Nonetheless, it must be noted that even those who excused regular-use jewelry recommended giving sadaqah voluntarily from such possessions as an act of gratitude and purification.
Considering the strength of the evidences obligating zakat, the generality of the hadith, and the reality that much modern jewelry represents significant stored wealth, it is more cautious (ahwat) and closer to fulfilling one’s duty to Allah to follow the opinion that obligates zakat on all gold that reaches the nisab, whether worn daily or kept.
Therefore, a Muslim woman who owns gold jewelry amounting to or exceeding the nisab (approximately 85 grams of pure gold) should pay zakat annually at the rate of 2.5% of its current market value, regardless of whether she wears it daily or keeps it stored. This approach ensures that her wealth is purified and that she avoids any area of potential negligence in fulfilling one of the pillars of Islam.
