Zakat in Naira: How to Work Out the Nisab and Your Zakat in Nigeria

Zakat in Nigeria works the same way as anywhere else: if your zakatable wealth, after debts that are due now, stays at or above the nisab for one lunar year, you give 2.5% of it. To find the nisab in naira, multiply 85 grams of gold, or 595 grams of silver, by today's naira price per gram. Daily Trust reported in September 2026 that the gold-based nisab was around ₦15,654,875 and the silver-based nisab around ₦1,722,571. Both move every day, so work it out again on the day you calculate.

This guide explains each step with naira examples, the points where Nigerian donors most often get stuck, and how to pay Zakat for families in Gaza if you choose to. It explains the general rules; for rulings on your own situation, ask your scholar or mosque.

What the nisab is

The nisab is the minimum amount of wealth that makes Zakat due. It was set in gold and silver: 20 gold dinars or 200 silver dirhams. In modern weights this is commonly given as 85 grams of gold or 595 grams of silver, and some scholars calculate it as 87.48 grams of gold and 612.36 grams of silver.

Because gold is worth far more than silver, the two thresholds are very far apart in naira: in the September 2026 figures above, the gold nisab was roughly nine times the silver one. Many scholars advise using the silver nisab for cash and mixed savings, since it brings more people into giving and so helps more people in need. Ask your scholar which one you should use.

How to find the nisab in naira today

You need the price of one gram of pure (24-carat) gold or pure silver in naira on the day you calculate. There are two common ways to get it:

• Ask a gold dealer or jeweller for the day's price per gram of 24-carat gold. Local quotes can include a margin, so ask for the buying price of pure metal.
• Take the international price per troy ounce in US dollars, divide it by 31.1035 to get the price per gram, then convert to naira at the dollar rate.
• Multiply the price per gram by 85 for gold or 595 for silver (or by 87.48 and 612.36 if you follow that calculation). The result is the nisab in naira.

Which dollar rate should you use?

In Nigeria the official exchange rate and the rate people actually get from banks, bureaux de change or P2P markets have at times been far apart, and that changes the nisab and the value of any dollars or USDT you hold. Zakat is normally calculated on what your wealth is worth on the day. If the rates you can use differ a lot, ask your scholar which one to apply, and use the same one throughout your calculation.

What to count in Nigeria

Add up everything zakatable that you own on your Zakat date:

• Cash at home and money in naira bank accounts and wallets, including mobile money apps.
• Domiciliary account balances and foreign cash, converted to naira.
• Gold and silver you hold as savings or investment. In the Maliki school, which most Muslims in Nigeria traditionally follow, the well-known view is that jewellery a woman wears for permitted adornment carries no Zakat; other schools differ.
• Shares and investments, and stock held for sale in a business.
• Crypto you hold, at its value on the day. Many scholars treat a dollar stablecoin such as USDT held as savings like cash.
• Money owed to you that you expect to be paid.
• Savings in a cooperative, ajo or esusu that you can withdraw. Ask your scholar how to treat contributions you cannot yet take out.

A worked example in naira

The figures below are an example, not today's prices or rates. Say that on your Zakat date you have ₦1,200,000 in the bank, $500 in a domiciliary account and 300 USDT, and you owe ₦200,000 that is due now. Using an example rate of ₦1,500 to the dollar, the dollars are worth ₦750,000 and the USDT about ₦450,000.

Your total is ₦1,200,000 + ₦750,000 + ₦450,000 − ₦200,000 = ₦2,200,000. That is above the silver nisab in the September 2026 figures but below the gold nisab. If you follow the silver nisab and this level has held for a lunar year, your Zakat is ₦2,200,000 × 2.5% = ₦55,000. Our Zakat calculator does the arithmetic for you; it works in US dollars, so convert your naira total first or simply use it to check your own figures.

Farm produce, livestock and Zakat al-Fitr

Zakat on crops and livestock has its own rules and is not covered by the 2.5% calculation above. For crops, the well-known rule is a tenth of the harvest from land watered by rain or rivers, and a twentieth from land watered by irrigation, once the harvest reaches its own nisab. Ask a scholar for the measures that apply to your farm.

Zakat al-Fitr is a small, fixed charity given for every member of the household before the Eid al-Fitr prayer. In the Maliki school it is usually given as a measure of the local staple food, such as millet, sorghum, maize or rice, and many mosques announce the measure or a cash equivalent each Ramadan. Many scholars also prefer it to be given where you live. Our guide to Zakat al-Fitr explains the rules and the differences between the schools.

Who can receive your Zakat

The Quran names eight groups who may receive Zakat, first among them the poor and the needy (Surah At-Tawbah, verse 60). In Nigeria you can give it directly, through your mosque, through a private Zakat foundation, or through a state Zakat commission where one exists, as in Kano and Sokoto.

Many scholars allow Zakat to be sent abroad when the need there is greater, as long as it reaches eligible recipients. Families in Gaza who have lost their homes and income are among the clearest cases, but whether to give at home or abroad is your decision, and your scholar can advise.

Paying Zakat for Gaza from Nigeria

We accept donations in crypto only, so there is no naira transfer or card option. If you hold USDT, you can pay your Zakat directly from your wallet or exchange app:

• Open our Zakat donation page and choose a coin and network. USDT on Tron (TRC-20) or Solana (SPL) usually has the lowest fees.
• Send the naira value of your Zakat, worked out at your chosen rate, to the one-time address shown. Our guide on how to send USDT on TRC-20 walks through the withdrawal screen.
• Send us the transaction ID and tell us it is Zakat. It is recorded as Zakat and kept for Zakat-eligible recipients, the poor and needy among families in Gaza.

Our running costs are not paid from Zakat, and partners are checked before funds move. Our payment processor charges 1% plus the network fee on every crypto gift, Zakat included. Rules on crypto and on sending money abroad differ from country to country, so check what applies to you. Our page for donating to Gaza from Nigeria answers other common questions, and this guide is also available in Hausa: Zakka da sadaka ga Falasdinu.