Is Zakat Due on Your Jewelry, Makeup or Ring?
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Five Hanafi rulings on zakat for jewelry, makeup and a man's ring
A Man Wearing an Iron, Copper, or Brass Ring
Question: What do the scholars of religion say about a man who wears a ring made of iron, copper, or brass (other than silver) and prays while wearing it — what is the ruling on that prayer?
A man is only permitted to wear a single silver ring, set with one stone, weighing less than four and a half masha. No other ring is permissible for him — so wearing a ring of iron, copper, brass, gold, or any metal besides silver is impermissible and sinful for a man. Praying while wearing such a ring is disliked to the point of prohibition (makruh tahrimi) and the prayer must be repeated (wajib-ul-i'ada). Such a person should remove the impermissible ring, repeat those prayers, sincerely repent, and never wear such a ring again.
Durr al-Mukhtar states: "wa la yatahalla al-rajulu bi-dhahabin wa fiddatin mutlaqan illa bi-khatimin... wa la yatakhattamu illa bi'l-fiddah" — meaning a man may not adorn himself with gold or silver at all, except with a ring, and that ring may only be of silver. Under this, Radd al-Muhtar adds: "inna al-takhattuma bi'l-dhahabi wa'l-hadidi wa'l-sufri haram" — that wearing a ring of gold, iron, or brass is haram (forbidden) for a man.
(Radd al-Muhtar ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Vol. 9, p. 594)
Ala Hazrat, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (may Allah have mercy on him), writes in Fatawa Razaviyyah: "Whether on the hand or the foot, rings of copper, gold, silver, brass, or iron, or an earring or ear-stud, or a ring of gold, copper, brass, or iron — even if it is of a single thread's weight, or a silver ring of four and a half masha, or a ring set with several stones, or several rings which together weigh only one masha — all these things are haram and impermissible for men, and prayer performed while wearing them is makruh tahrimi."
(Fatawa Razaviyyah, Vol. 7, p. 307)
Malfoozat-e-Ala Hazrat states the same: that wearing such a ring makes the prayer makruh tahrimi and requires repetition.
(Malfoozat-e-Ala Hazrat, p. 309)
Sadr al-Shari'ah, Mufti Amjad Ali Azami (may Allah have mercy on him), instructs: "It is absolutely haram for a man to wear jewelry. Only a single silver ring is permissible, weighing less than one mithqal, i.e., four and a half masha, and a gold ring is also haram... A ring may only be worn in silver; wearing a ring of other metals — iron, brass, copper, zinc, and so on — is haram."
(Bahar-e-Shariat, Vol. 3, p. 426)
And Allah knows best, and His Messenger knows best; may Allah keep them and their households safe and grant them well-being.
— Mufti Muhammad Qasim Attari, countersigned by Abu Hanifa Muhammad Shafi Attari, 01 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1441H / 30 October 2019
Zakat on Artificial (Imitation) Jewelry
Question: What do the scholars of religion and the muftis of the straight path say regarding the ruling on zakat for artificial jewelry?
If artificial jewelry is kept with a genuine intention to trade it for profit, zakat becomes obligatory on it once the other conditions of zakat are also fulfilled. However, if it is not kept for trade but rather for personal use or some other non-trading purpose, no zakat is due on it at all, however great its value might be — because zakat is only obligatory on exactly three categories of wealth:
- 1
Thaman (currency) — that is, gold and silver, which also encompasses every nation's paper currency and prize bonds.
- 2
Mal-e-Tijarat (goods of trade) — that is, wealth acquired with the intention of reselling it.
- 3
Sa'imah — that is, livestock left to graze, kept for milk, breeding, or fattening.
Non-trading artificial jewelry does not fall under any of these three categories, and therefore no zakat is due on it either.
The core proof that zakat is obligatory on goods of trade is the hadith in Sunan Abi Dawud, narrated from Samurah ibn Jundab (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
A more detailed exposition of this same principle is found in Fatawa Alamgiri, in its discussion of the conditions for zakat being obligatory:
The summary of this lengthy passage is that gold and silver are "khilqi" — that is, they were created by their very nature to function as currency — so zakat is obligatory on them in every case, whether there is an intention to trade, no such intention at all, or an intention simply to spend them; it makes no difference. But every other item is "fi'li," meaning growth in it is generated only by an intention of trade or of using it as grazing livestock, and even that intention is not valid until it is actually joined with the act of trading or grazing. This is precisely why artificial jewelry — which is neither gold nor silver, and was not purchased with a trading intention — falls outside the scope of zakat by default.
Sadr al-Shari'ah, Mufti Muhammad Amjad Ali Azami (may Allah have mercy on him), summarizes this same principle in simpler terms: "Wealth being 'growth-capable' means growing either actually, or presumptively — that is, capable of growing if one wished to grow it, being in one's own or one's agent's possession. Each has two forms. That which was created for precisely this purpose is called khilqi, such as gold and silver, since they were created so that things could be purchased with them. That which was not created for this purpose, but this benefit is nonetheless obtained from it, is called fi'li. Everything besides gold and silver is fi'li, since growth in all of it comes through trade. Zakat is obligatory on gold and silver regardless — as long as they reach the nisab, even if buried and kept hidden, whether traded or not — while zakat on everything else is only obligatory when there is an intention to trade, or when animals are set loose to graze. In summary, zakat is due on three kinds of wealth: (1) thaman, i.e., gold and silver, (2) goods of trade, and (3) sa'imah, i.e., grazing livestock." (Bahar-e-Shariat, Vol. 1, p. 882)
One question remains: what is the ruling on something kept purely for adornment, outside these three categories of wealth — gold/silver, goods of trade, and grazing animals? Mabsut al-Sarakhsi answers this in detail:
Notice that Imam al-Sarakhsi gives the examples of vessels, pearls, and a horse precisely because these can all be highly valuable items, yet since none of them are gold or silver, and none were acquired with a trading intention, no zakat is due on them. Artificial jewelry follows the exact same principle: unless it is specifically kept with the intention of reselling it for profit, keeping it purely for adornment does not make it zakatable wealth, no matter how expensive it is.
And Allah knows best, and His Messenger knows best; may Allah grant safety to them and their households.
— Mufti Muhammad Qasim Attari, 05 Zul-Hijjah al-Haram 1442H / 16 July 2021
Zakat on Makeup Products Kept in a Beauty Parlour
Question: What do the scholars of religion and the muftis of the straight path say regarding whether zakat is obligatory on the makeup materials a beauty parlour keeps to prepare brides, grooms, and other clients?
Before the answer, it helps to understand a preliminary principle: the tools and materials a professional uses in their work fall into three categories: (1) items that generate profit while remaining intact — that is, kept and reused; (2) items that generate profit through being consumed, and whose substance or effect leaves no trace once the work is complete; and (3) items that generate profit through being consumed, but whose substance or effect does remain present in the finished work. Zakat is not obligatory on the first two categories, while it is obligatory on the third.
Applying this same principle, the materials used in a beauty parlour during makeup application also fall into three types:
- 1
Items that generate profit while remaining intact — such as the machines, brushes, and scissors used in makeup, and the machinery used for threading and hair-dyeing.
- 2
Items consumed in the work whose substance or effect leaves no trace afterward — such as massage and facial creams, which are temporarily applied during a facial or massage and then wiped off, leaving no lasting effect on the skin, since these creams are removed once they have cleared away dirt and blemishes from the face and body.
- 3
Items consumed in the work whose substance or effect does remain — such as face powder, lipstick gel, eyeliner, nail polish, henna, and false lashes or nails, whose substance or effect is kept on the body in order to produce adornment.
Zakat is not obligatory on the first two categories, however great their value and however long a full year has passed over them, because they are not goods of trade. Zakat is obligatory on the third category, provided all the other conditions for zakat's obligation are also fulfilled, because these items are, in essence, goods of trade. For the Wudu-related side of nail polish itself, see our guide on nail polish, mascara and cold cream.
Explanation: The reason zakat becomes obligatory on an item whose substance or effect remains in the work is that part of the fee charged for the service is effectively payment for that substance or its effect — the professional is, in effect, also selling that item alongside her labour, and so it counts as goods of trade. As for something whose substance or effect does not remain, the fee there is purely for the labour and not for the item itself, so such things — not being goods of trade — carry no zakat obligation.
The same hadith of Sunan Abi Dawud from Samurah ibn Jundab (may Allah be pleased with him) — that the Prophet ﷺ used to command zakat be paid on goods of trade — is the core proof here as well. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Zakah, Vol. 1, p. 228)
Al-Durr and its commentary al-Ghurar state, among the conditions for zakat's obligation:
Under Hashiyat al-Shurunbulali, a further and more precise distinction is drawn regarding a professional's tools, with two additional examples:
Al-Shurunbulali here gives two very clear illustrative pairs: a carpenter's tools (adze, file) and a launderer's soap — both are used throughout the work, but nothing of them ends up being sold, as such, to the customer along with the cloth or wood, so no zakat is due on them. Contrast this with a dyer's dye and a tanner's tanning oil — these permanently become part of the customer's cloth or leather, meaning they are, in effect, the very thing being sold, and so zakat is due on them. Lipstick and nail polish in the beauty-parlour example fall precisely into this second category.
The same issue is explained in still greater depth, with two distinct scenarios, in Bada'i al-Sana'i:
This passage from Bada'i al-Sana'i essentially unpacks, through the example of dyers and tanners, the same principle already introduced more briefly in al-Shurunbulali's marginal note. By the same analogy, the machines, brushes, and scissors used in a beauty parlour — like a launderer's soap — leave no trace behind, and so fall outside zakat. Facial cream, too, is entirely wiped away after use, so it likewise falls outside zakat. But lipstick, powder, nail polish, and henna — like a dyer's colour — leave their effect on the client's face or hands, and that very effect is what the fee is charged for; hence these count as goods of trade and fall within the scope of zakat. For the Wudu-related rulings on lipstick and mehndi themselves, see our guide on wig tape, piercings, mehndi, lipstick and dupatta.
And Allah knows best, and His Messenger knows best; may Allah grant safety to them and their households.
— Mufti Muhammad Qasim Attari, 18 Zul-Hijjah al-Haram 1442H / 29 July 2021
Zakat on Gold/Silver Jewelry That Is Actually Worn
Question: What do the scholars say about whether zakat is obligatory on women's gold and silver jewelry that is worn for everyday use? Also, please clarify whether jewelry counts as a basic necessity (hajat asliya).
If the conditions of zakat are fulfilled, zakat is obligatory on gold and silver jewelry that is worn for everyday use. This is because, in the light of the pure Shari'ah's principles, gold and silver are currency in their essential nature (thaman asli) — that is, both metals are, in themselves, the very basis of currency and value, whatever outward form they take. Therefore, whether gold or silver takes the shape of jewelry, raw bullion, or moulded vessels, and whether it is actively worn or sitting unused in a drawer, zakat becomes obligatory in every case — provided the conditions of zakat (namely, reaching the nisab and the passing of a full year) are met. It should be kept firmly in mind that wearing jewelry is not, in Shari'ah terms, a basic necessity, so one cannot claim exemption from zakat simply by saying "I only wear it, I haven't kept it to sell." For related rulings on jewellery worn during Iddat, see our guide on hair oil, jewellery, perfume and shampoo.
Nur al-Idah states the root of this ruling as follows:
Reflecting on this passage, one notices that the jurists deliberately named all three forms — bullion, jewelry, and vessels — separately, precisely so that no one might imagine that zakat applies only to raw gold or silver, and that the ruling somehow changes once it is shaped into jewelry. A change in outward form does not change the metal's essential nature (that is, its being currency), and so the ruling remains the same regardless of shape.
Further support for this same ruling is found in Hashiyat al-Tahtawi, quoted there from al-Durr:
Al-Tahtawi clarifies just before this that zakat is obligatory on the two currencies — gold and silver — whether they are kept for adornment (zinah) or for the purpose of spending (nafaqah). In both cases, the ruling is identical, because what actually matters is not the owner's intention, but the natural, built-in status of gold and silver themselves. This is precisely why gold and silver are among the very few things on which zakat becomes obligatory even without any intention to trade, whereas every other item requires both an intention to trade and an actual act of trading before it can be considered zakatable — as already explained in detail regarding artificial jewelry above.
Finally, the Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah, Ala Hazrat, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (may Allah have mercy on him), ties this entire matter together most comprehensively in Fatawa Razaviyyah, writing:
"In actual fact, the nisab of gold is seven and a half tola, and the nisab of silver is fifty-two and a half tola. Whichever of the two a person owns, and a full year passes over it, and after setting aside their basic necessities — food, clothing, housing, and the like — and provided no debt reduces it below the nisab, then zakat is obligatory on them, even if it is jewelry that is being worn — for wearing jewelry is not a basic necessity at all." (Fatawa Razaviyyah, Vol. 10, p. 129)
In this single passage, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (may Allah have mercy on him) lays out four conditions for zakat's obligation together: (1) owning the nisab amount — seven and a half tola for gold, fifty-two and a half tola for silver; (2) a complete lunar (Hijri) year passing over that nisab; (3) being free of one's basic living necessities — food, clothing, and housing — meaning zakat is calculated only on surplus wealth, not on wealth needed for basic survival; and (4) having no debt that would bring the total below the nisab. And most importantly, he explicitly clarifies that jewelry being "worn" is not among these four conditions of exemption — that is, everyday use is not the kind of basic necessity that removes an item from zakat, the way a person's home or food supply is removed from it.
And Allah knows best, and His Messenger knows best; may Allah shower His mercy upon you.
— Mufti Muhammad Hashim Khan Attari, countersigned by Abu Awsaf Muhammad Asif Attari
Zakat Owed on Jewelry for Missed Past Years
Question: What do the scholars of religion and the muftis of the straight path say about the following case: an Islamic sister was married on 27 December 2006. She received 20 tola of jewelry from both her parental and marital families, which became her own property. Then in February 2008 she was gifted a further 9 grams of gold. Then in September 2010 she sold all of her gold to buy a plot of land to live on. Zakat was never paid on this gold during the entire period she held it. It is now being asked how much zakat this sister owes for the past years. Besides this, she had no other zakatable wealth.
Before the answer, the following must be understood: (1) delaying the payment of zakat, once a full year has passed over the nisab, is a sin. (2) The date, month, and year used to determine when a zakat-year begins and ends must be reckoned according to the Hijri calendar. (3) If zakat on gold is paid in gold, or zakat on silver is paid in silver, then weight is what is taken into account; but if zakat is to be paid in cash instead, then the price applicable is the one at the close of that zakat year. (4) If someone holds only gold, or only silver, above the nisab amount, with no other zakatable wealth, then first the one-fortieth (2.5%) of the base nisab amount is calculated as zakat; the remaining excess amount is then examined — if it equals a further fifth of the base nisab, its zakat is also due, otherwise it is exempt, and any further excess is examined the same way. (5) Where several years' zakat remains unpaid, each year's due amount should be deducted from the holding before calculating the following year's zakat on what remains.
Fatawa Razaviyyah, addressing a very similar question, lays out the detailed working method as follows:
"From the questioner's account it is understood that the jewelry remained the same each year, with no increase or decrease. So, for each year, the price of gold at that time is used to value 4 tola 6 masha 3 surkh [i.e., the standard measure used for silver-equivalent valuation in this method], and the jewelry is added into the weight of silver [for nisab-calculation purposes]; then for every fifty-two-and-a-half tola of silver, its one-fortieth becomes obligatory, and then for every ten-and-a-half tola of silver [beyond that], its one-fortieth becomes obligatory; whatever remains at the end below ten-and-a-half tola of silver is exempt. In every subsequent year, whatever zakat became due in the preceding years is first deducted from the wealth on hand, and zakat is then calculated on what remains. Over three years, any cash on hand is likewise included in the calculation throughout, and whatever money is spent in each subsequent year is deducted accordingly. In this way, after working out the combined total for three years, whatever zakat is found obligatory must all be paid immediately, without further delay; and for the delay that has occurred until now, sincere repentance is obligatory, along with a firm resolve to pay each year's zakat immediately from now on. If, in working out these past three years, there is difficulty in finding out the exact price of gold on the day each year ended, then as a precaution one should apply the highest reasonable rate, so that no part of the zakat is left unpaid. And Allah knows best." (Fatawa Razaviyyah, Vol. 10, pp. 128–129)
The same volume of Fatawa Razaviyyah also clarifies the method of payment — whether in gold or in cash equivalent:
"If zakat on gold is paid in gold, and zakat on silver is paid in silver, then there is no need for a price at all — one-fortieth of the weight is simply given. However, if one wishes to give silver in place of gold, or gold in place of silver, then a price will be needed. Neither the price at the time the wealth was first acquired, nor the price at the time of payment, is what counts — rather, if payment is made before or after the year's completion, the price that counts is the one applicable on the date, each year, when the Arabic month and date on which one first became the owner of the nisab comes back around again — that is the date on which the zakat year is considered complete, and it is the price on that date which is used." (Fatawa Razaviyyah, Vol. 10, p. 133)
In light of these two principled passages, the resolution of the case at hand is as follows: this Islamic sister owes zakat for three years, since after that point she sold her gold to buy a plot of land, and she became sinful by delaying the zakat for those three years. It is obligatory on her to repent of this sin and immediately pay the zakat for those three years. This sister became an owner of the nisab (sahib-e-nisab) on 27 December 2006. Since the zakat-year is reckoned by the Hijri calendar, and this Gregorian date corresponds to the Hijri date of 6 Dhul-Hijjah 1427 AH, her zakat year was accordingly completed on 6 Dhul-Hijjah 1428 AH.
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Became owner of the nisab (received 20 tola at marriage) | 27 December 2006 (6 Dhul-Hijjah 1427 AH) |
| Received a further 9 grams of gold as a gift | February 2008 |
| First zakat year completed | 6 Dhul-Hijjah 1428 AH |
| Sold all gold to buy a plot of land to live on | September 2010 (Ramadan 1431 AH) |
| Total zakat owed for 3 Hijri years | 5.85 masha per year → 1.4625 tola total |
Accordingly, this Islamic sister owes 5.85 masha of zakat per year, and 1.4625 tola in total across the full three years. Now, if this sister wishes to pay her zakat in gold itself, she may simply give 1.4625 tola of gold. And if she prefers to pay the cash equivalent instead of gold, she should determine the price of gold as it stood on 16 December 2007 and pay the cash value of 5.85 masha of gold at that price as her zakat for that year. Likewise, she should determine gold's price on 4 December 2008 and on 23 November 2009, and pay each of those two years' 5.85 masha separately, valued at each respective year's price. As for September 2010 (corresponding to Ramadan 1431 AH), by which time she had sold her gold to buy a plot of land to live on — since housing is a basic necessity, and she had no other zakatable wealth besides this — no further zakat became obligatory on her after that point.
A practical note: Gold prices vary by city and change daily, so when calculating your own missed years, look up the actual historical rate applicable on each specific date from a reliable source. Fatawa Razaviyyah itself gives this same instruction: where the exact price for a particular past year genuinely cannot be determined, one should, as a precaution, apply the highest reasonable rate, so that no portion of the zakat is left unpaid.
And Allah knows best, and His Messenger knows best; may Allah keep them and their households safe and grant them well-being.
— Mufti Abul Hasan Muhammad Hashim Khan Attari, 27 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1440H / 06 December 2018
May Allah make it easy for all of us to give what is due, on ourselves and on our jewelry, without delay. Ameen.
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