Zakat on silver is calculated at 2.5% of the silver's value in pounds, based on its weight and purity. The silver nisab is 612.36 grams of fine (.999) silver. Unlike gold, there is no significant madhab dispute about silver jewellery — all four madhabs treat worn silver jewellery similarly to worn gold jewellery (exempt for Maliki/Shafi'i/Hanbali, zakatable for Hanafi).
Key facts
- Rate: 2.5% of eligible silver value in £
- Nisab: 612.36 grams of .999 fine silver (= 200 dirhams)
- Fine silver (.999): use full weight in the calculation
- Sterling silver (.925): multiply weight by 0.925 to get pure silver equivalent
- Silver is often the nisab used by UK charities — lower £ threshold than gold
- Silver ETFs are treated as physical silver and are zakatable
Is Silver Zakatable?
Yes — silver has been a zakatable asset since the earliest period of Islam. The nisab for silver is 612.36 grams of fine silver, set by the Prophet ﷺ as 200 dirhams (the silver currency of the era). All four madhabs agree on this weight.
Silver held in any form — bullion, coins, jewellery (for Hanafi Muslims), or through ETFs — may be zakatable. The silver nisab in pound sterling terms is typically much lower than the gold nisab, which is why most UK charities use it as the default.
Silver Purity
Not all silver is equally pure. Fine silver (.999) is almost entirely pure and is used for investment bars and coins. Sterling silver (.925) — the standard for most jewellery and cutlery — is 92.5% silver, with the remainder being copper or other alloys.
| Type | Purity | Calculation | 100g example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine silver (.999) | 99.9% | weight × 1.000 | 100.0g pure |
| Sterling silver (.925) | 92.5% | weight × 0.925 | 92.5g pure |
| Britannia silver (.958) | 95.8% | weight × 0.958 | 95.8g pure |
The Calculation
pure_weight_g = actual_weight_g × purity_factor
silver_value_£ = pure_weight_g × silver_spot_price_per_gram (.999)
zakat = silver_value_£ × 0.025
The nisab check is applied to total net zakatable wealth — not silver alone. Your silver value is added to your cash, gold, and investments before the nisab comparison is made. If your total net wealth exceeds the nisab, 2.5% of the entire amount is due (not just 2.5% of the silver portion).
Why the Silver Nisab is Lower
In the Prophet's time, the gold and silver nisab values were roughly equivalent in purchasing power. Today, the gold-to-silver price ratio is approximately 80–90:1. This means the silver nisab (612.36g) translates to a pound value roughly 7–8 times lower than the gold nisab (87.48g).
This is why using the silver nisab is considered more conservative — it means that more Muslims meet the nisab threshold and are therefore liable to pay zakat. Most UK Islamic charities and many contemporary scholars recommend the silver nisab for this reason.
Silver Jewellery
Silver jewellery follows the same madhab rules as gold jewellery. Under the Hanafi madhab, all silver jewellery is zakatable. Under the Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali madhabs, worn silver jewellery is generally exempt. In practice, silver jewellery is less commonly a significant consideration than gold, because silver spot prices are much lower.