{"_id":"69e2a873bf6aee6fe506b19d","title":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"How should the hadith about zakat on gold jewelry be understood in the Shafi‘i school?\\n\"}]}","question":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"I understand that in the Shafi‘i school, zakat is not due on gold that is kept for personal adornment rather than investment. However, when I discuss this with those who follow the Hanafi school, they cite a hadith which appears to indicate that zakat is required even on gold jewelry.\\n\\nThe hadith is as follows:\\n\\nAbdullah ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAs narrated that a woman came to the Prophet ﷺ with her daughter who was wearing two gold bracelets. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Do you give the zakat on this?” She said, “No.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “Would you be pleased that Allah puts two bracelets of fire on you on the Day of Judgment?” [Abu Dawud]\\n\\nI am content to follow the Shafi‘i ruling, but I would like to better understand how this hadith is interpreted within that framework.\\n\"}]}","answer":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"Before addressing the hadith, there's a deeper methodological issue to point out. Your Hanafi companions are muqallids or followers of Imam Abu Hanifa's school. They are not following the hadith directly; they are following their imam's ijtihad regarding this legal question, that includes consideration for the hadiths that have been narrated on this matter. The same is true of you as a follower of the Shafi school. Neither of you is in a position to adjudicate between the two schools by citing individual hadiths, because that is precisely the work that the great imams and their scholars spent lifetimes doing. When lay people cite hadith at one another to prove that one madhhab is superior to another, they are unknowingly claiming a level of legal expertise they do not possess. This is a widespread innovation that poses immense danger to our legal tradition and has caused division and chaos amongst Muslims.\\n\\nAs for the hadith itself, it is not the only narration on this matter. There are several other hadith that support the opinion that zakat is not due on jewelry worn for adornment, and those narrations are considered stronger by many scholars. Beyond the hadith, there are also established legal principles upon which this ruling is based. The bottom line is that both the Hanafi and Shafi positions are valid and sound, and you may follow either one with confidence. Debates about the strength of these opinions are the work of qualified scholars, not lay people.\\n\"}]}","tags":[{"_id":"668d9ff70b76658b4c232a80","tag":"Seerah: Sunnah and Hadith","count":71},{"_id":"668d9ff90b76658b4c232aa0","tag":"Knowledge: Madhabs","count":66},{"_id":"668d9ff50b76658b4c232a40","tag":"Zakat: Al-Mal","count":58}],"createdOn":"2026-04-17T21:38:59.244Z"}