Two thresholds, very different sizes
The nisab weights are fixed: 87.48 g of gold or 612.36 g of silver. Their rupee value is not. At the illustrative prices, the gold nisab is 87.48 × Rs 30,000 = Rs 2,624,400 and the silver nisab is 612.36 × Rs 350 = Rs 214,326. The gold figure is about 12.2 times the silver one.
The weights themselves are a 1 to 7 ratio, so the 12-fold gap here is not built into the rules. It comes from gold having become much dearer than silver since those weights were set. Islamic Relief notes that most scholars advise the silver value because it is almost always the lower threshold and makes more wealth eligible; others prefer gold as closer to the nisab in use at the Prophet's time.
Even doubling the silver price in this example leaves the silver threshold far below the gold one. For most households the choice of metal matters much more than the day's price.
Zakat at five wealth levels under each threshold
Take net zakatable wealth (assets you count, minus debts you deduct) and test it against each nisab. The calculator applies 2.5% to the whole net amount once the nisab is met.
| Net zakatable wealth | Silver nisab (Rs 214,326) | Gold nisab (Rs 2,624,400) |
|---|---|---|
| Rs 150,000 | Rs 0 (below) | Rs 0 (below) |
| Rs 500,000 | Rs 12,500 | Rs 0 (below) |
| Rs 1,000,000 | Rs 25,000 | Rs 0 (below) |
| Rs 2,000,000 | Rs 50,000 | Rs 0 (below) |
| Rs 3,000,000 | Rs 75,000 | Rs 75,000 |
Below both thresholds, nothing is due either way. Above both, the amount is the same either way, because the nisab only decides whether zakat applies, not how much. The choice matters only in the band between the two, which at these prices runs from Rs 214,326 to Rs 2,624,399. Savers, salaried families with some jewellery and small shopkeepers often fall inside it.
Because 2.5% applies to the whole amount, each threshold is a cliff. Under the gold nisab, Rs 2,624,399 owes nothing and Rs 2,624,400 owes Rs 65,610. Under the silver nisab, Rs 214,326 already owes Rs 5,358.15.
A worked case: jewellery, savings and a debt
A household holds 3 tola of 22K jewellery, Rs 200,000 in savings, and a Rs 50,000 debt due this month that their scholar allows them to deduct.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Jewellery: 3 tola = 34.9914 g × Rs 27,500 | Rs 962,263.81 |
| Savings | Rs 200,000 |
| Gross assets | Rs 1,162,263.81 |
| Less deductible debt | − Rs 50,000 |
| Net zakatable wealth | Rs 1,112,263.81 |
| With silver nisab Rs 214,326 | Due: 2.5% = Rs 27,806.60 |
| With gold nisab Rs 2,624,400 | Below: Rs 0 |
With the silver nisab, the result stays at Rs 27,806.60 whether silver is Rs 250 or Rs 500 a gram, because the household is above the threshold at both prices. The price of silver only matters for people close to it.
Zakat Estimate CalculatorRun your own net wealth twice, once with each nisab, and see whether you fall in the band where the choice decides the result.When a little cash switches the test
The rule for people who own only gold produces a result many find surprising. Someone with 6 tola of 22K jewellery and nothing else has 69.98 g, below the 87.48 g gold nisab even weighing the whole piece. Nothing is due.
Add Rs 10,000 in a bank account. Their wealth is no longer gold only, so under the Ordinance's wording and Islamic Relief's guidance the silver value becomes the test. The total of Rs 1,934,527.63 (Rs 1,924,527.63 of jewellery plus Rs 10,000) is far above Rs 214,326, and 2.5% gives Rs 48,363.19. A small amount of cash changes the result from nothing to zakat on the whole jewellery value.
This is why it matters to classify your wealth before choosing a threshold. For how the gold-only test itself works, including weighing the piece versus its pure gold, see the nisab in grams and tola explained.
Questions to settle with your scholar
- Is all my zakatable wealth one metal, or a mix of gold, silver, cash, savings and stock?
- For mixed wealth, do you follow the silver value, the gold value, or another approach?
- For jewellery, do I value it at the rate for its own karat, and test the gold nisab by the piece's weight or its pure gold?
- Which debts may I deduct, and is my zakat date the anniversary of first reaching the nisab?
Once you have the answers, the arithmetic is mechanical. A jeweller's per-tola quote usually needs converting before you can value jewellery accurately; reading a gold jewellery quote shows how.
Limits of this comparison
- The prices are fixed for illustration. Real gold and silver prices move daily and differ between dealers, and the rupee nisab moves with them.
- The table assumes the anniversary has arrived. If your lunar year is not complete, the calculator returns zero under either threshold.
- Zakat deducted at source by banks in Pakistan uses a nisab the government notifies each year. This page does not reproduce that figure or its exemption process.
- The guide does not rank one opinion above another. It shows what each choice produces so you can ask the right question.