Nisab Today

What is nisab?

Nisab is the threshold of wealth at which zakat becomes obligatory. A Muslim whose net wealth stays below the nisab for the year owes no zakat at all, and may in fact be among those eligible to receive it. Once wealth reaches or passes the nisab and remains there for one lunar year, zakat of 2.5% falls due. The nisab exists so that zakat is only ever asked of those who genuinely have a surplus, never of those who are struggling.

The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, set two nisab thresholds, one in gold and one in silver. Both are fixed in weight, not in any currency. This is deliberate and enduring: money loses value over time, but a weight of precious metal holds its worth across centuries. It is why a threshold set fourteen hundred years ago still works today. Only the cash value of that fixed weight changes, rising and falling with the daily metal markets, which is exactly what the calculator on this page tracks for you.

The gold and silver nisab in weight

The two thresholds are precise, and it helps to know them in every unit you might encounter:

• Gold nisab: 87.48 grams, equal to 20 mithqal, or 7.5 tola, or about 3.08 troy ounces of pure gold.
• Silver nisab: 612.36 grams, equal to 200 dirhams, or 52.5 tola, or about 19.69 troy ounces of pure silver.

To turn either weight into money, you multiply it by the current price of that metal per gram. If gold is trading at a certain price per gram today, the gold nisab is simply 87.48 times that figure. The calculator does this automatically using live prices, and lets you overwrite the price if your local rate differs, since gold in a shop in Karachi, Dubai or London may carry a different premium to the international spot price.

Why the two thresholds differ so much today

In the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, the gold and silver nisab were roughly equal in value. Ten dirhams of silver traded for about one dinar of gold, and the two thresholds represented a similar amount of purchasing power. Over the centuries, however, silver has fallen dramatically against gold. Today the ratio can exceed eighty to one, which means the silver nisab is often only a tenth of the gold nisab in cash terms.

This gap is not a flaw; it is the source of one of the most practical questions in zakat, and the reason your choice of basis matters so much.

Gold nisab or silver nisab: which should you use?

Because the silver threshold is so much lower, choosing it brings more people into the obligation to pay, and therefore channels more wealth to the poor and needy. This is why the majority of scholars, and nearly every major zakat institution, recommend calculating against the silver nisab. It is the more cautious and more generous position, and it errs on the side of fulfilling the obligation rather than avoiding it.

A minority view allows a person whose wealth is held mainly in cash, rather than in actual silver, to use the gold nisab. The reasoning is that the gold threshold better preserves the original purchasing power the nisab was meant to represent. Both positions are held by respected scholars.

The practical rule is simple. If your wealth is clearly above both thresholds, the choice makes no difference: you pay either way. The choice only matters when your wealth sits between the two, above the silver nisab but below the gold. In that band, using silver means zakat is due, and using gold means it is not. When you are unsure, following the silver nisab is the safer and more widely recommended path. The calculator lets you switch between the two instantly and see the effect on your own figures.

How nisab fits into your zakat calculation

Nisab is a gate, not a deduction. You do not subtract the nisab from your wealth. Instead you use it as a yes-or-no test:

1. Add your zakatable assets. Cash, bank balances, gold, silver, shares, money owed to you, and business stock.
2. Subtract short-term debts. What you owe within the next twelve months.
3. Compare the result to the nisab. If it is below, no zakat is due this year. If it is equal to or above, continue.
4. Pay 2.5% of the whole amount. Not 2.5% of the amount above nisab, but 2.5% of your entire net zakatable wealth.

That last point is often misunderstood. Once you are above the nisab, zakat applies to your full net wealth, not merely the portion that exceeds the threshold. The nisab only decides whether you pay, not how much of your wealth is counted.

Does my wealth need to stay above nisab all year?

Zakat is due when your wealth has remained above the nisab for one full lunar year, known as the hawl. The threshold is measured at the two ends of that year, the day you first crossed it and the same date one year later. According to the majority of scholars, brief dips below the nisab during the year do not reset the clock, as long as you are above it at the start and at the end. Only if your wealth falls below the nisab and stays there does the year restart from when you next cross the threshold.

Nisab for different assets

The gold-and-silver nisab is the threshold for what is called zakat al-mal, the zakat on monetary wealth: cash, savings, gold, silver, shares, and trade goods. Two other categories use their own separate thresholds:

• Agricultural produce uses a threshold of roughly 653 kilograms of the crop, and its own rates of 5% or 10%, paid at harvest rather than after a lunar year.
• Livestock uses fixed head-count bands: for example, zakat on grazing sheep begins at 40 animals, and on cattle at 30. These are not percentage-of-value calculations.

For almost everyone, though, it is the gold-or-silver nisab that matters, because most people's zakatable wealth is money, savings and gold rather than crops or herds.

Keeping your nisab figure accurate

Because the nisab moves with metal prices, the figure that was correct last Ramadan will not be correct this year, and may not even be correct next month. This is the single most common mistake in zakat: using an out-of-date nisab value copied from an old article. The calculator on this page solves that by pulling live gold and silver prices, so the threshold you see is today's, in your currency. If you prefer to use your local jeweller's rate, you can type it in and the nisab recalculates instantly.

Frequently asked questions

What is the nisab for zakat today?

The nisab is fixed in weight: 87.48 grams of gold or 612.36 grams of silver. Its cash value changes daily with metal prices. The calculator on this page shows today's figure in your currency from live market data.

Should I use the gold or silver nisab?

Most scholars recommend the silver nisab because it is lower, so more people become liable and more reaches those entitled to receive. If your wealth is mainly in cash and sits between the two thresholds, some scholars permit the gold nisab. When in doubt, silver is the safer choice.

How much is the silver nisab in grams?

The silver nisab is 612.36 grams of pure silver, which equals 200 dirhams or about 52.5 tola. Multiply this weight by today's silver price per gram to get its value in your currency.

How much is the gold nisab in grams?

The gold nisab is 87.48 grams of pure gold, which equals 20 mithqal or 7.5 tola. Multiply by today's gold price per gram to find its cash value.

Why is the silver nisab so much lower than gold?

In the Prophet's time the two thresholds were roughly equal in value. Since then silver has fallen far relative to gold, so the silver nisab is now much lower in money terms, often about a tenth of the gold figure.

Is nisab calculated before or after debts?

Compare your net wealth to the nisab. Add your zakatable assets, subtract debts due within the next twelve months, and check the remainder against the threshold.

Nisab values shown are drawn from live market prices and are an estimate for ordinary situations. For a complex estate or an unusual asset, consult a qualified scholar. Verify metal prices against your local market on the day you calculate.