The Islamic
Dinar is a specific weight of 22k gold (917.) equivalent to 4.25 grams,
and Dirham is a specific weight of pure silver equivalent to 2.975 grams.
Umar Ibn
al-Khattab established the known standard relationship between them based on
their weights: “7 dinars must be equivalent to 10 dirhams”.
“The
Revelation undertook to mention them and attached many judgements to them, for
example Zakat, Marriage and Hudud etc., therefore within the Revelation they
have a reality and specific measure for
assessment [of Zakat, etc.] upon which its judgement may be based rather than
on the non-shari’i coins”.
Know that
there is consensus [ijma] since the beginning of Islam and the age of the
Companions and the Followers that the dirham of the shari’ah is that of which
ten weigh seven mithqals [weight of the dinar] of gold… The weight of a mithqal
of gold is seventy-two grains of barley, so that the dirham which is
seven-tenths of it is fifty and two-fifths grains. All these measurements are
firmly established by consensus. Ibn Khaldum, Al-Muqaddimah.
Zakat
The literal
meaning of Zakat is ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’. In the Islamic
faith, Zakat means purifying your wealth for the will of Allah SWT; to
acknowledge that everything we own belongs to Allah SWT and to work towards the
betterment of the Muslim Ummah. According to Islamic regulations, Zakat is 2.5%
of one year’s total cumulative wealth. This amount is then distributed to the
poor. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) has said “Whoever pays the zakat on his wealth
will have its evil removed from him”
Sayyidina
Ali ibn Abi Talib (karam-Allah Wajhu) reported that Rasul-Allah (sallallahu alaihi
wasallam) said: “There is nothing due upon you in gold, until it reaches
twenty dinars. Thus, if you have twenty dinars at the end of the lunar year,
then there is half a dinar levied on it [as Zakat] and if you have two hundred
dirhams and a year passes, then five dirhams are due upon it. Any additional
amount will be calculated in this manner. There is no Zakat on property until
it has been owned for one year.” (Hadith related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and
al-Baihaqi).
0.5 dinar /
20 dinars = 0.5/20 * 100 = 2.5%
5 dirhams /
200 dirhams = 5/200 * 100 = 2.5%
Nisab
To be liable
for zakat, one’s wealth must amount to more than a threshold figure, termed the
“nisab”.
Nisab for
Zakat (according to Dinar & Dirham concept)
Gold
20 Dinars (20 * 4.25) = 85 grams (85 / 28.3495231) = 2.99828 Oz = 3 Oz
85 * 3,884/- = Rs. 330,140/- (as of April 18, 2016)
Silver
200 Dirhams (200 * 2.975) = 595 grams (595 / 28.3495231) = 20.9880 Oz =
21 Oz
595 * 57/- = Rs. 33,915/- (as of April 18, 2016)
Cash
equivalent to gold or silver whichever is less
Nisab for
Zakat (according to tola concept)
Early dinars
were struck of 4.4 grams of gold and 20 dinars equals to approx. 7.5 Tola, and
early dirhams were struck of 3.0615 grams of silver and 200 dirhams equals to approx.
52.5 Tola.
Gold
7.5 Tola (7.5 * 11.6638038) = 87.47 grams (87.47 / 28.3495231) = 3.08 Oz
87.47 * 3,884/- = Rs. 339,734/- (as of April 18, 2016)
Silver
52.5 Tola (52.5 * 11.6638038) = 612.35 grams (612.35 / 28.3495231) =
21.60 Oz
612.35 * 57/- = Rs. 34,904/- (as of April 18, 2016)
Cash
equivalent to gold or silver whichever is less
Notes
1 Oz = 28.3495231
grams
1 Tola =
11.6638038 grams