Zakat is obligatory (7) upon it, even if it is below the threshold, because it was preceded by a threshold; for this reason, he pays Zakat on it proportionally, and its growth is secondary (8) to it.

457- Issue: He said: (Goods are to be valued, when the year passes, according to what is most beneficial (1) to the poor, whether it be in gold or silver, and what was paid to purchase them is not taken into account.)

This means that when a year has passed over the goods and their value in silver reaches a threshold, but they do not reach a threshold in gold, we value them in silver so that the poor may obtain a benefit from them. If their value in silver is less than the threshold but reaches a threshold in gold, we value them in gold so that Zakat becomes obligatory upon them. There is no difference whether he purchased them (2) with gold, silver, or other goods. Abu Hanifah held this view. Al-Shafi'i said: They are valued based on what he used to purchase them, whether gold or silver, because the threshold of the goods (3) is based on what he purchased them with, so Zakat must be obligatory upon them, and they are considered accordingly, just as if he had not purchased anything else with them. Our argument is that their value reached a threshold, so Zakat is obligatory upon them, just as if he had purchased them with goods and there are two currencies in use in the city, where the value of the goods (3) reaches a threshold by one of them. Furthermore, their valuation is for the benefit of the poor, so whatever provides them with a benefit is considered, as is the principal. As for when he did not purchase anything with currency, Zakat is on the asset itself, not its value, unlike goods. Unless the currency is intended for trade, in which case Zakat should be obligatory upon it if its value reaches a threshold in the other currency, even if it does not reach a threshold in its own substance; because it is trade wealth whose value has reached a threshold, so its Zakat is obligatory like goods. As for when the value of the goods (4) reaches a threshold by each of the two prices, he may value it by whichever of them he wishes and pay a quarter of a tenth...