Sources & References

By the Editorial Team · reviewed against our sources · updated September 2026 · guidance, not a fatwa

This page explains where our rulings and data come from. Our guidance rests on the Qur’an and the Sunnah, reflects the four Sunni schools of thought, and is cross-checked against well-known contemporary zakat bodies and Islamic-finance standards. Our live nisab figures come from gold and silver price feeds. We describe our method openly and never fabricate texts or numbers.

• Primary sources are the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah, referenced accurately and never invented.
• We present the positions of the four Sunni schools — Hanafi, Shafiʿi, Maliki and Hanbali — side by side.
• We consult recognised zakat bodies and Islamic-finance standards for cross-checking, but we do not claim their endorsement.
• Live gold and silver spot prices plus FX feeds drive the nisab and multi-currency figures, refreshed periodically.
• We use the classical nisab weights of 87.48 g gold and 612.36 g silver.

Primary sources: the Qur’an and the Sunnah

The foundation of Zakat is the Qur’an. Zakat is repeatedly paired with prayer as an obligation on believers, and the categories of people who may receive it are set out in Surah at-Tawbah (9:60), which names the eight eligible groups. The etiquette and spirit of giving — spending from what is good, without following charity with reminders of it — is drawn from passages such as Surah al-Baqarah (2:267–273).

The second source is the Sunnah, the practice and teaching of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which details the rates, thresholds and categories of wealth on which Zakat is due. We reference the Sunnah generally and accurately; where a specific narration underlies a rule, we point to it rather than paraphrasing it into wording that was never said. We do not fabricate hadith text, chains, or gradings to fill a gap. If the evidence for a point is contested, we would rather tell you that than manufacture certainty.

The four Sunni schools

Sincere scholars have long differed on the details of Zakat, and those differences are a normal, respected part of Islamic law. We present the positions of the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence — Hanafi, Shafiʿi, Maliki and Hanbali — rather than pushing a single view as the only valid one.

A common example is the nisab benchmark: some positions favour measuring against the silver threshold (which tends to make more people liable and so is often seen as more cautious in favour of the poor), while others weigh gold and silver differently. Where the schools diverge in a way that changes your result, we flag it and, where practical, let you choose the position you follow. Our aim is to inform, not to issue a verdict on which school is correct.

Contemporary methodology we cross-check against

To sanity-check our rules against modern practice, we consult the published guidance of well-known contemporary zakat organisations and the work of recognised Islamic-finance standards bodies, which address questions the classical texts did not face directly — such as pensions, shares, and modern business structures.

These sources are consulted, not endorsed. Referencing that such bodies exist and describing the role they play is not a claim that they have reviewed, approved, or partnered with this site — they have not. We also do not put quotes or figures in their mouths. Where we mention a contemporary position, we describe it in general terms rather than fabricating a precise wording or statistic.

Where our live data comes from

The nisab threshold depends on the current market value of gold and silver, so the calculator uses live spot-price data for both metals, together with foreign-exchange feeds so you can work in your own currency. These figures are refreshed periodically rather than tick-by-tick, which is more than sufficient for a Zakat calculation but means the displayed price may lag the market by a short interval.

Market data can occasionally be delayed or wrong at the source. If a price looks clearly off, treat the result as indicative and check again shortly. You can read the exact steps the calculator follows on our how we calculate page, and see the current threshold on our nisab page.

Nisab weights we use

We use the classical nisab weights of 87.48 grams of gold and 612.36 grams of silver. These derive from the traditional measures reported in the Sunnah — 20 mithqals of gold and 200 dirhams of silver — converted into modern metric weights. Different bodies round these conversions very slightly differently (you may see figures such as 85 g or 595 g elsewhere), and we note our chosen values so you can see exactly what our results are based on.

Because the gold and silver thresholds carry different monetary values, which metal you measure against affects whether you meet nisab. We surface both so the choice, and its consequence, are transparent.

How we handle uncertainty and corrections

Where scholars genuinely differ, or where a modern financial question has no single agreed answer, we say so rather than presenting one view as settled fact. We would rather show you the range of opinion than give you false precision. Our results remain guidance, not a fatwa.

If you believe we have a source wrong, a weight miscalculated, or a school’s position misstated, please tell us through our corrections process. We take such reports seriously, and the standards we apply to sourcing and updates are set out in our editorial policy.

Disclaimer: This page describes the sources and method behind our content. The Zakat Calculator is an independent educational tool, not a fatwa authority, and it is not currently certified by a named scholar. References to scholars, schools, and contemporary bodies are for explanation only and do not imply their review or endorsement. For a binding ruling on your circumstances, consult a qualified scholar.

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