What Would Trigger A Revision In Nisab Amount?
In matters of Ibadah (‘Tabbudi amoor’), we cannot use ijtihaad or reasoning to change a directive based on presence/absence of certain conditions, unless they are explicitly mentioned in the directive. In the absence of any such explicit condition, all matters of ibadah should be adhered to in form as given by the Prophet (sws) Himself (sws). As far as the nisab (exemption) of zakat is concerned, following is an excerpt from Dr. Shehzad’s reply relevant to your question: …” As far as the nisab (exemption) of zakat is concerned, it only means that no zakat can be collected below this amount. The nisab rate can be increased by an Islamic state if required. Also, the actual yardstick in calculating the nisab is silver and not gold or both as is generally held. This misconception seems to have arisen from the equation that existed between silver and gold (7.5 tolas of gold = 52.5 tolas of silver) in the times of the Prophet (sws) “. (Dr. Shehzad Saleem)