Is there logic in today's world that zakat is calculated based on the value of gold and silver?

I think the issue is that we sometimes try to judge religious rulings only through our personal logic. In Islam, the primary basis is not whether something fully makes sense to us, but whether Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) commanded it.

The amount of Zakat being linked to gold and silver is not merely because people once used gold and silver coins. Gold and silver have historically served as stable measures of wealth, while paper currencies rise and fall in value over time.

More importantly, a Muslim follows a ruling because it comes from revelation. Human logic can help us understand wisdom behind a ruling, but it does not determine whether the ruling is valid.

There are many acts of worship where we submit even if we do not fully grasp every wisdom. For example:

• Why are Fajr prayers 2 rak'ahs while Dhuhr is 4?
• Why do we circle the Ka'bah seven times instead of six or eight?
• Why is the sacrifice of an animal on Eid al-Adha an act of worship?

We may understand some benefits, but the foundation is obedience to Allah, not personal reasoning.

If every religious ruling depended entirely on human logic, then each person would create their own version of Islam according to what seems reasonable to them. Islam teaches us that revelation guides reason, not the other way around.

So while discussing the wisdom behind Zakat is beneficial, the real question for a believer is not "Does this fit modern logic?" but rather "What did Allah command and what was the practice taught by the Prophet ﷺ?"

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I think there is a difference between understanding the wisdom behind a ruling and changing the ruling itself.

In Islam, paper money is already subject to Zakat according to the vast majority of scholars. The question is not whether Zakat is paid on cash—it is. The question is how the Nisab (minimum threshold) is determined.

The Prophet ﷺ specifically fixed Nisab using gold and silver. For example:

"No Zakat is due on less than five Uqiyyah of silver."
(Sahih Muslim 979)

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and:

"No Zakat is due on less than twenty dinars of gold."
(Reported in Sunan Abu Dawud and other collections)

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Therefore, Muslims do not invent a new Nisab based on what seems logical to us. We use the standards established in the Sunnah and then convert them into today's currencies.

Also, paper money is not a stable measure of value. A currency can lose much of its purchasing power within a few years, while gold and silver have historically remained stores of wealth over long periods. This is one reason many scholars continue to use gold or silver as the reference for Nisab.

More importantly, Islamic rulings are based on revelation first and human reasoning second. Logic is used to understand the ruling, not to replace a ruling that has been established by the Qur'an and Sunnah.

If every generation changed acts of worship whenever circumstances changed, then someone could also ask why we still pray five times a day when modern life is different from life 1400 years ago. The answer is that acts of worship remain tied to divine guidance, not merely changing human circumstances.

So yes, we calculate Zakat on modern money, bank balances, and savings today. But the Nisab itself remains connected to the gold and silver standards that were established by the Prophet ﷺ, unless there is clear evidence to replace them.

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I respectfully disagree.

First, gold and silver are not being given a special status by me. They were given a special status in the Islamic sources themselves. The Prophet ﷺ specified nisab in terms of gold and silver, and Muslims have followed that guidance for centuries.

Second, the statement that "revelation does not exist in Islam except the Quran" is difficult to reconcile with the Quran itself. Allah says:

"Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah." (Quran 4:80)

and:

"Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you, abstain from it." (Quran 59:7)

These verses indicate that the teachings of the Prophet ﷺ are also a source of guidance for Muslims.

As for gold and silver being "ordinary metals", the discussion is not about their chemical composition. Iron, copper, and titanium have existed throughout history, yet societies across civilizations repeatedly used gold and silver as monetary standards and stores of wealth because of their scarcity, durability, and acceptance.

Finally, whether one personally likes gold and silver is not really the issue. The real question is: if the Prophet ﷺ defined nisab using gold and silver, what evidence is there from the Quran or authentic Sunnah that this standard has been abolished and replaced with something else?

I think that is the point that needs evidence rather than assumption.

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ahmadmuslim said:

In my opinion, converting it to wheat and rice is the best option, but again, we need to see what your religious authority says

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I think the discussion is moving away from the original issue.
You are trying to prove that gold and silver are not needed in a modern economy. Even if I accept that point for the sake of argument, it still does not answer the religious question.
The real question is: who has the authority to redefine a standard that was explicitly mentioned by the Prophet ﷺ?
Throughout Islamic history, Muslims have lived under gold coins, silver coins, copper coins, trade goods, paper money, banknotes, and now digital banking. Yet scholars across different centuries and regions continued to refer to the gold and silver nisab because that is what is found in the sources.
Your argument is essentially:
"The economic system changed, therefore the religious standard should change."
But where is the evidence that a change in economics automatically changes a ruling established by the Prophet ﷺ?
For example, people no longer travel by camel, yet the rulings of Hajj were not abolished.
People no longer write on leather and parchment, yet the Quran was not rewritten according to modern writing methods.
People no longer live as they did 1400 years ago, yet the number of daily prayers remains five.
The burden of proof is not on those who follow the traditional understanding. The burden of proof is on the person claiming that a standard established in the Sunnah should now be replaced.
If there is clear evidence from the Quran, authentic Sunnah, or the consensus of scholars that the gold and silver nisab has been abolished, then please provide it. Otherwise, personal reasoning alone cannot override a religious text.

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Statesman said:

This is not an insult to a man thinking like a woman. But I think Abu Muhammed 991 is a woman hiding behind a man's name.

May God forgive you madam, it doesn't matter.

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