Can Gold and Silver Be Combined to Complete the Nisāb of Zakāh?
Source: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
Question:
Can gold and silver be combined to complete the nisāb of zakāh?
Answer:
Gold and silver are two separate categories, and each has its own nisāb. One cannot be combined with the other to complete the nisāb; rather, each will be considered independently.
Sayyiduna Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī رضي الله عنه narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
ليس فيما دون خمس أواق صدقة، وليس فيما دون خمس ذود صدقة، وليس فيما دون خمس أوسق صدقة.
“There is no zakāh on less than five awāq of silver, no zakāh on less than five camels, and no zakāh on less than five wasaq of produce.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1405, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 979)
This ḥadīth clearly states the nisāb of each item separately, without combining one with the other. The same ruling applies to gold and silver.
