Is zakat on rupees by weight or by value?

Question

Question: in “‘Ilm al-Fiqh”, vol. 4, p. 32, it is written that giving the zakat of rupees by count is contrary to caution. How, then, should it be given? A statement of this kind has also been seen in other books. From this it is understood that in the nisab of zakat it is not the value of the rupee that is considered but its weight. So if someone has one hundred rupees which by weight come to one hundred tolas (a unit of weight, ≈ 11.66 g)

Answer

It is better to weigh the hundred rupees and then pay one fortieth of them by weight — whether in rupees or in silver. A rupee does not weigh a full tola but somewhat less; moreover, not every rupee will be equal.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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