Is There Zakah on Diamonds?
By Dr. Ahmad Shafaat (December, 2004) This is an important question because its examination provides an illustration of the need to re-examine legal opinions of our great fuqaha of the past. The common view is that there is no zakah on diamonds and other precious stones, unless they are acquired for trade. Some writers claim ijma on this position. Thus in Fiqh al-Sunnah we read: Scholars have come to agree that there is no zakah for mas (diamond), durr (pearls), yaqut (sapphire or ruby), lu`lu` (pearl), marjan (coral), zabarjad (chrysolite), and other precious stones except when acquired for trade.[1] When Muslims read such a statement, no matter how unreasonable, most of them dare not examine the matter any further. For, we have been told repeatedly that ijma is a source of binding Islamic law and therefore to question it would be tantamount to rejecting a divine injunction. But the truth is that such a high authority for ijma cannot be established on the basis of the Qur`an and the a
