of gold or silver” (1), whose wording is general, is qualified by the Prophet’s saying: “On coined silver, one-quarter of a tenth is due” (2). Coined silver refers to minted silver, as indicated by Allah’s saying: “So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the city.” Thus, coined silver refers to dirhams, and the Prophet’s statement, “There is no owner of gold or silver,” is to be understood as referring to minted silver and minted gold.

The response to this is from two angles:

First: We do not concede that coined silver means minted currency, for Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Coined silver is a name for silver in general, whether minted or not.” If we accept Ibn Hazm as an authority in matters of language, then the matter is clear. If we do not accept him as such, we say that the Prophet said: “With regard to silver, one-quarter of a tenth is due on two hundred dirhams,” and he also said: “There is no zakah on less than five awāq of silver” (3). This proves that what is taken into account is simply silver itself.

Second: Even if we concede that silver here means minted silver in the form of dirhams, mentioning some individuals within a general category under a ruling that accords with the general ruling does not constitute specification.

Consider: if you were to say, “Honor the students,” and then say, “Honor Muhammad,” who is one of them, would this restrict the general statement or not?

The answer is the latter: all of them are to be honored, while Muhammad is given a particular distinction in being honored.