512 – Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) used to wear awdaḥ of gold. She asked, “Messenger of Allah, is this a treasure (kanz)?” He replied, “If you pay the zakah due on it, then it is not a treasure.” Reported by Abū Dāwūd and al-Dāraquṭnī, and al-Ḥākim declared it sound.⦗1⦘

Hadith grading
Concerning these two reports—and the narrations that deal with zakah on jewelry in general—the hadith scholars and jurists have differed over their authenticity: some upheld them, while others declared them weak. I have therefore decided to postpone the discussion of the reliability of these two traditions until we reach the section on the scholarly disagreement, where, God willing, we shall give the subject the close examination and verification it deserves.

Vocabulary
– awdaḥ: singular wadaḥ. So called because of their brightness and luster, they are a kind of ornament made from silver, named awdaḥ on account of their whiteness; they take the form of bracelets for the wrists and anklets for the feet.
– “Akanz huwa?”: the initial hamzah introduces an informational question, meaning, “Is this included in the threat concerning hoarded treasure mentioned in the verse?” One might expect a simple “yes” or “no,” but the Prophet ﷺ defined treasure according to its recognized meaning: gold or silver that has reached the zakah threshold and on which the zakah has not been paid. If that is the case, it is treasure; but if it is worn as adornment in the manner Allah has legislated and permitted for women, then it is not treasure.

Al-Rāghib said: The root meaning of kanz is found in the expression “I stored the fruit in a container,” that is, to stack wealth one part upon another and preserve it.