Pesa ni kipimo kinachotumiwa kupima manufaa yaliyomo katika bidhaa na katika juhudi, yaani bidhaa na huduma. Kwa hiyo, pesa imefafanuliwa kuwa ndiyo njia ambayo kwayo bidhaa na huduma zote hupimwa. Hivyo basi, bei ya bidhaa na mshahara wa mfanyakazi, kwa mfano, kila kimoja kinawakilisha makadirio ya jamii kuhusu thamani ya bidhaa hiyo na juhudi ya mfanyakazi huyo. Hati fungani, hisa na vitu vya aina hiyo havichukuliwi kuwa pesa.

Money is the standard by which we measure the benefit found in the commodity and in the effort i.e. goods and services. Therefore, money is defined as being the medium by which all goods and services are measured. Hence the price of a commodity and the wage of a worker for instance, each represents the society’s estimate of the value of that commodity and the effort of that worker. Bonds, shares and the like are not considered money.

Makadirio haya ya thamani ya bidhaa na huduma, katika nchi zote, huonyeshwa kwa vipimo maalum. Vipimo hivi huwa kipimo ambacho faida inayopatikana kutoka kwa bidhaa na faida inayopatikana kutoka kwa huduma hupimwa. Vipimo hivi hufanya kazi kama njia ya kubadilishana, na vipimo hivi ni pesa.

This estimation of the value of goods and services is, in all countries, expressed by units. These units become the measure by which the benefit obtained from a commodity and the benefit obtained from a service is measured. These units would act as a medium of exchange, and these units are money.

Wakati Uislamu ulipoweka kanuni za biashara na ajira, haukubainisha bidhaa yoyote mahsusi ambayo kwayo ubadilishanaji wa bidhaa, huduma na manufaa ulipaswa kufanywa kwa lazima. Badala yake, Uislamu umempa mwanadamu uhuru wa kufanya miamala ya kubadilishana kwa kutumia kati yoyote anayoichagua, mradi kuwe na ridhaa ya pande zote katika ubadilishanaji huo. Kwa hiyo inaruhusiwa kwa mwanaume kumwoa mwanamke kwa kumfundisha Qur'ani, kama vile inavyoruhusiwa kwa mtu kununua bidhaa kwa kufanya kazi kwa mmiliki wake kwa siku moja, au kufanya kazi kwa mtu kwa siku moja kwa malipo ya kiasi fulani cha tende n.k. Hivyo ubadilishanaji unaweza kufanywa kwa chochote watu wanachokitaka. Hata hivyo, linapokuja suala la kubadilishana bidhaa kwa kitengo maalum cha fedha, Uislamu umetuongoza kwenye kitengo cha fedha ambacho kwacho ubadilishanaji huo utafanyika. Umewazuia Waislamu kutumia aina maalum ya fedha, nayo ni dhahabu na fedha. Uislamu haujaiachia jamii kueleza yenyewe makadirio yake ya kipimo cha manufaa yanayopatikana kutokana na bidhaa au huduma, kwa vitengo vya fedha vilivyowekwa au vinavyobadilika, ambavyo jamii ingeweza kuvisimamia kama ilivyotaka. Badala yake, Uislamu umebainisha vitengo hivi vya fedha ambavyo kwavyo jamii inaonyesha thamani, yaani bei za bidhaa na huduma.

When Islam decreed the rules of trading and hiring, it did not determine any specific item with which the exchange of goods, services and benefits had to be compulsorily conducted. Islam has rather given the human being the choice to conduct the transactions of exchange with whatever medium He chooses, as long as mutual consent prevailed in the exchange. It is, therefore permitted for a man to marry a woman by teaching her the Qur’an, just as it is permitted for a person to buy a commodity by working for its owner for a day, or to work for someone for a day in exchange for a certain amount of dates etc. The exchange could therefore be conducted with whatever people wished. However, when it comes to exchanging a commodity with a specific monetary unit, Islam has guided us to the monetary unit by which the exchange is to take place. It has restricted the Muslims to a specific type of money, which is gold and silver. Islam has not left it to society to express its own estimation of the measure of benefit drawn out of goods or services, by either fixed or variable monetary units, which society could manage as it wished. Islam has rather specified these monetary units by which society expresses the values i.e. the prices of goods and services.

Maelezo haya yanaweza kupatikana kutokana na mambo kadhaa, nayo ni yafuatayo:

This specification could be deduced from several matters and these are as follows:

1. Islamu ulipokataza kukusanya mali, ulikataza kwa namna maalum kukusanya dhahabu na fedha, ingawa mali inajumuisha kila kitu kinachoweza kumilikiwa. Ngano, kwa mfano, ni aina ya mali; tende na fedha pia ni mali. Hata hivyo, ukusanyaji unaohusika na mali hiyo hasa huonekana katika fedha, si katika bidhaa na huduma. Katazo lililo katika aya linarejea kukusanya fedha, kwa kuwa fedha ndiyo njia inayokubalika kwa ujumla ya kubadilishana, na kwa sababu ukusanyaji wa fedha ndio jambo linalozaa athari ya katazo, yaani kuzuia mzunguko wake. Kwa bidhaa nyingine, mkusanyiko wake haujulikani kama Kanz (kukusanya/kuhifadhi mali kwa ubakhili), bali unajulikana kama Ihtikar (kuhodhi bidhaa ili kupandisha bei). Kwa hiyo aya inayokataza kukusanya dhahabu na fedha kwa kweli inarejea kukusanya fedha. Aya imebainisha fedha ambazo Allah (swt) ametukataza kuzikusanya, nazo ni dhahabu na fedha. Allah (swt) anasema:

1. When Islam prohibited the hoarding of wealth, it specifically prohibited the hoarding of gold and silver despite the fact that wealth includes any property that can be owned. Wheat for instance is a type of wealth, so are dates and money. However, hoarding is reflected in money, not in the goods and services. The prohibition in the verse refers to the hoarding of money, for it acts as the generally accepted medium of exchange, and because the hoarding of money is the matter that produces the effect of the prohibition i.e. restricting circulation. As for other commodities, their accumulation would not be known as Kanz, (hoarding), but as Ihtikar (monopoly). Hence the verse which prohibits the hoarding of gold and silver in fact refers to the hoarding of money. The verse has specified the money which Allah (swt) has prohibited us to hoard which is gold and silver. Allah (swt) says:

Na wale wanaohifadhi dhahabu na fedha na wasizitoe katika njia ya Allah, basi wajue kwamba adhabu kali inawasubiri. [At-Tauba: 34]

“And those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend them in the way of Allah, let them know that a severe punishment is awaiting them” [At-Tauba: 34]

Kwa hiyo, katazo linalenga njia ya kubadilishana kwa fedha, hivyo kuhifadhi dhahabu na fedha kumekatazwa, iwe zimeshatengenezwa kuwa sarafu au hazijatengenezwa.

Therefore, prohibition is focused upon the monetary medium of exchange, thus the hoarding of gold and silver is forbidden, whether it was minted or not.

2. Uislamu umeunganisha dhahabu na fedha na seti ya kanuni zilizowekwa. Kwa hiyo, ilipoweka Diyyah yaani fidia ya damu, ilibainisha kiasi maalum cha dhahabu. Pia, ilipotoa adhabu ya kukatwa mkono kwa mwizi, ilibainisha thamani ya chini kabisa ya dhahabu iliyoibiwa ambayo ingesababisha kukatwa kwa mkono. Katika barua yake kwa watu wa Yemen, Mjumbe wa Allah ﷺ alinukuliwa na An-Nisai kwa mamlaka ya Amru Ibn Hazm kuwa alisema: "Fidia ya damu kwa nafsi moja itakuwa ngamia 100... na kwa wale wanaofanya biashara ya dhahabu itakuwa dinari 1000." Bukhari pia alinukuu kwa mamlaka ya Aisha (ra) kuwa Mjumbe wa Allah ﷺ alisema: "Mkono hukatwa kwa wizi wa robo dinari na zaidi." Kwa hiyo, kuweka kwa kanuni fulani kwa Dinari, dirham na Mithqal, kungefanya Dinari yenye uzito wake wa dhahabu, na dirham yenye uzito wake wa fedha, kuwa kitengo cha fedha ambacho kwacho thamani ya bidhaa na huduma hupimwa. Kitengo hiki cha fedha kingekuwa pesa, ambayo ndiyo msingi wa sarafu. Kwa hiyo, ukweli kwamba Uislamu umeunganisha kanuni za Shari'ah na dhahabu na fedha kwa maandishi, pale kanuni hizi zinapohusiana na pesa, ni ushahidi kwamba sarafu imezuiliwa peke yake kwa dhahabu na fedha.

2. Islam has linked gold and silver to a set of fixed rules. Hence, when it imposed the Diyyah i.e. blood money, it specified a fixed amount of gold. Also, when it decreed the penalty of cutting the hand of the thief, it specified the minimum value of gold that is stolen which would entail the cutting of the hand. In his letter to the people of the Yemen, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was reported by An-Nisai on the authority of Amru Ibn Hazm to have said: “The blood money for one soul would be 100 camels...and for those who deal in gold it would be 1000 dinars.” Bukhari also reported on the authority of Aisha (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) also said: “The hand is cut for the theft of one-quarter dinar and upward.” Therefore, this fixing of certain rules by the Dinar, the dirham and the Mithqal, would make the Dinar with its weight in gold, and the dirham with its weight in silver, a monetary unit by which the values of goods and services are measured. This monetary unit would be the money, which is the basis of the currency. Therefore, the fact that Islam has linked the Shari’ah rules to gold and silver by text, when these rules are related to money, serves as evidence that the currency is solely restricted to gold and silver.

3. Mjumbe wa Mwenyezi Mungu ﷺ ameamua dhahabu na fedha zitumike kama fedha, na akazifanya pekee kuwa kipimo cha thamani cha kutathmini bidhaa na huduma, na akahakikisha miamala yote ifanyike kwa kuzitegemea. Pia alianzisha vipimo vya fedha hizi, ambavyo ni wakia, Dirham, Daniq (sawa na 1/6 ya Dirham), Karati, Mithqal na Dinari. Vipimo hivi vilikuwa vinajulikana vizuri na vimeenea wakati wa uhai wa Mjumbe wa Mwenyezi Mungu ﷺ, na vilitumiwa sana na watu wote. Pia imethibitishwa kwamba Mjumbe wa Mwenyezi Mungu ﷺ aliviidhinisha. Biashara zote na miamala ya ndoa zilifanyika kwa dhahabu na fedha, kwa sifa yake kama fedha, na hili limethibitishwa katika Hadithi Sahihi. Mjumbe wa Mwenyezi Mungu ﷺ ameweka uzito wa dhahabu na fedha kwa uzito maalum, ambao ulikuwa uzito wa watu wa Makka. Abu Dawud na An-Nasai wameripoti kwa mamlaka ya Ibn Umar kwamba Mjumbe wa Mwenyezi Mungu ﷺ alisema: “Uzito uwe wa watu wa Makka.” Tukichunguza vipimo vya fedha katika Uislamu, tungehitimisha kwamba wakia ya kisheria ni sawa na Dirham 40, Dirham ni Daniq 6, Dinari ni sawa na Karati 24, na kila Dirham 10 ni sawa na Mithqal 7. Vipimo vya Madina vilianzishwa kufuatana na mpangilio huu.

3. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has determined that gold and silver be used as money, and exclusively made them the monetary measure to evaluate goods and services, and ensured that all transactions be conducted with them as their basis. He (pbuh) also established the units of this money, which are the ounce, Dirham, Daniq (equal to 1/6 Dirham), Carat, Mithqal and Dinar. These units were well known and widespread during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and they were widely used by all people. It has also been established that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) approved of them. All trade and marriage transactions were conducted in gold and silver, in their quality as money, and this has been established in the Sahih Ahadith. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has determined the weight of gold and silver with a specific weight, which was the weight of the people of Makkah. Abu Dawud and An-Nisai reported on the authority of Ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “The weight should be that of the people of Makkah.” When reviewing the monetary weights in Islam, we would conclude that the legal ounce would equal 40 Dirhams, the dirham would be 6 Daniqs, the Dinar would equal 24 Carats and every 10 Dirhams would equal 7 Mithqals. The weights of Madinah were established according to this order.

4. Allah (SWT) alipoamuru Zakat ya fedha, aliifanya wajibu katika dhahabu na fedha, na alipanga Nisab ya Zakat katika dhahabu na fedha. Hivyo, kuchukulia Zakat ya fedha kuwa ni dhahabu na fedha kungeifanya fedha hiyo kuwa dhahabu na fedha.

4.When Allah (swt) decreed the Zakat of money, He (swt) made it obligatory in gold and silver, and He (swt) determined a Nisab for the Zakat in gold and silver. Therefore, to consider the Zakat of money as being gold and silver would establish the money as being gold and silver.

5. Kanuni za kubadilishana zilizoorodheshwa chini ya miamala ya fedha pekee zimekuja kwa dhahabu na fedha tu. Pia, miamala yote ya kifedha iliyotajwa katika Uislamu imeripotiwa kuwa ilifanywa kwa dhahabu na fedha. Ubadilishanaji ni biashara ya sarafu moja kwa nyingine. Inaweza kuwa ni biashara ya sarafu moja kwa aina ile ile, au biashara ya sarafu moja kwa aina nyingine. Kwa maneno mengine, ubadilishanaji ni kubadilishana sarafu moja kwa nyingine. Ukweli kwamba Shari'a imeamua ubadilishanaji, ambao ni muamala wa kifedha tu, ukiunganishwa na chochote isipokuwa fedha kwa dhahabu na fedha, ni ushahidi wazi kwamba fedha inapaswa kuwa dhahabu na fedha na si kitu kingine. At-Tirmidhi ameripoti kwamba Mtume wa Allah ﷺ alisema: "Biasharisha dhahabu kwa fedha upendavyo, lakini mkono kwa mkono (bila kuchelewa)." Bukhari pia ameripoti kwamba Mtume wa Allah ﷺ alisema: "Dhahabu kwa fedha ni Riba, isipokuwa ikiwa mkono kwa mkono (bila kuchelewa)." Kwa hiyo, fedha inachukuliwa kuwa moja ya mambo ambayo Uislamu umeweka kanuni zake, na si jambo linalotegemea maoni na mashauriano, wala kutegemea mahitaji ya maisha ya kiuchumi na kifedha. Sifa ya fedha kuwa aina maalum na kipimo maalum cha sarafu imeamuliwa na hukumu ya Shari'ah. Mtu akitafakari juu ya mambo hayo matano yaliyotajwa hapo juu, ataona kwamba hukumu nyingi za Shari'ah zimehusishwa na kuunganishwa na fedha katika Uislamu. Kwa hiyo, katazo la kuhifadhi fedha kwa kujilimbikizia, wajibu wa Zakat juu yake, kuamuliwa kwa kanuni ya ubadilishanaji wake, idhini ya Mtume wa Allah ﷺ ya kuifanyia biashara, kuunganishwa kwa Diyyah (fidia ya damu) na kukatwa kwa mkono katika wizi nayo, vinafanya maoni katika jambo kama hilo yategemee maandishi ya Shari'ah pekee. Ukweli kwamba Shari'a imejieleza kupitia kanuni zinazohusiana kikamilifu na fedha ya dhahabu na fedha, au zilizounganishwa nayo, ni ushahidi wazi kwamba sarafu inapaswa kuwa dhahabu na fedha, au kujengwa juu ya dhahabu na fedha. Kwa hiyo, aina ya sarafu iliyoamuliwa na kanuni za Shari'ah lazima izingatiwe. Hivyo, pesa katika Uislamu inapaswa kuwa dhahabu na fedha.

5. The rules of exchange listed under the monetary transactions only, have come in gold and silver alone. Also, all the financial transactions mentioned in Islam were reported to have been conducted in gold and silver. Exchange is the trading of one currency for another. It would be either trading of one currency with the same type, or trading of one currency for another type. In other words, exchange would be the swapping of one currency for another. The fact that Shar’a has determined the exchange, which is purely a financial transaction, linked to nothing else but money by gold and silver serves as a clear evidence that money should be in gold and silver and nothing else. At-Tirmidhi reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Trade gold for silver as you wish, but hand to hand (without delay).” Bukhari also reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Gold for silver would be Riba, unless it was hand to hand (without delay).” Therefore, money is considered one of the issues which Islam has laid down rules for and is not an issue subject to opinion and consultation, nor subject to the requirements of economic and financial life. The attribute of money as a specific type and unit of currency, is rather determined by a Shari’ah rule. If one were to ponder over the above mentioned five points, one would find a host of Shariah rules has been related and linked to the money in Islam. Therefore, the prohibition of its hoarding, the obligation of Zakat on it, the decreeing of the rule of exchange for it, the approval of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) of dealing with it, the linking of the Diyyah (blood money) and the cutting of the hand in theft to it makes the opinion in such a matter subject to the Shari’ah text only. The fact that Shar’a has expressed through rules which are related exclusively to money in gold and silver, or are linked to it, serves as a clear evidence that the currency should be gold and silver, or based on gold and silver. Therefore, the type of currency determined by the Shari’ah rules must be adhered to. Thus, money in Islam should be gold and silver.

Hata hivyo, kuamua kwa pekee kwamba dhahabu na fedha ndizo fedha hakumaanishi kwamba ingekatazwa kufanya ubadilishanaji wowote kwa kitu kingine isipokuwa dhahabu na fedha. Suala la sarafu katika hili lingekuwa tofauti na suala la ubadilishanaji; lingekuwa suala la kupitisha sarafu. Kwa hiyo, ingawa watu wangeruhusiwa kubadilishana kwa kitu chochote wapendacho, kipimo cha kifedha cha kubadilishana na kwa kitu chochote kisichokuwa ubadilishanaji ni lazima kiwe dhahabu na fedha, kwa kuwa fedha katika Uislamu ni dhahabu na fedha.

However, to exclusively determine gold and silver as money would not necessarily mean that it would be forbidden to conduct any exchange in other than gold and silver. The issue of currency in this regard would be other than that of exchange, it would rather be the issue of adopting a currency. Therefore, despite the fact that it would be permitted for people to exchange in anything they wished, the monetary measure for exchange and for anything other than exchange must be in gold and silver, for money in Islam is gold and silver.

Mtume wa Allah (ﷺ) alitumia aina mbalimbali za dhahabu na fedha kama fedha, iwe zimetengenezwa kwa sarafu rasmi au la. Hakuweka sarafu maalum ya fedha yenye sifa maalum na zisizobadilika. Badala yake, vipimo vya dhahabu na fedha vilikuwa sarafu za Kirumi na Kiajemi, sarafu ndogo na kubwa, pamoja na sarafu za fedha ambazo hazikuwa zimetengenezwa wala kuchongwa, pamoja na sarafu za Kiyemeni. Sarafu hizi zote zilikuwa zikitumika kwa upana bila ubaguzi. Hata hivyo, sarafu hizi hazikuzingatiwa kwa idadi yake wala kwa kuwa zimechongwa au la; zilizingatiwa tu kwa uzito wake. Kipande cha dhahabu kingeweza kuwa na ukubwa wa yai, na watu bado wangefanya biashara nacho. Hivyo, kipimo kilikuwa kwa kutaja dhahabu na fedha na kutaja uzito wa kila moja yao. Kwa hiyo, haki za Allah (SWT) kama Zakat, haki za watu kama madeni, pamoja na bei za bidhaa na huduma, zilihusishwa na Dirham na Dinari, yaani na dhahabu na fedha, zikipimwa kwa uzito.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) made various types of gold and silver as money, regardless of whether these were minted or not. He (pbuh) did not mint a specific money, with specific and fixed features, rather the units of gold and silver were Roman and Persian coins, both small and large coins along with silver coins which were neither minted nor engraved, as well as Yemeni coins. All of these coins were in use widely without exception. However, these coins were not considered by their number or whether they were engraved or not; they were only considered according to their weight. The piece of gold could be the size of an egg, and people would still deal with it. Thus, the definiition was by specifying gold and silver and specifying the weight for each of them. Therefore, the rights of Allah (swt) such as Zakat, the rights of the people such as debts, as well as the prices of goods and services, were related to Dirhams and Dinars i.e. to gold and silver, evaluated by weight.

Hali hii iliendelea katika kipindi chote cha maisha ya Mtume wa Allah ﷺ, na cha Makhalifa Waongofu wanne, na mwanzo wa enzi ya Bani Umayyah, hadi kuja kwa Abdulmalik Ibn Marwan, ambaye aliona inafaa kubadilisha dhahabu na fedha zote zilizokuwa zikitumika wakati huo, zilizopigwa sarafu na zisizopigwa sarafu, kuwa sarafu na maandishi ya Kiislamu, akaipa uzito uliowekwa na usiobadilika, hivyo kuondoa haja ya kurejelea uzito wake. Basi alikusanya sarafu kubwa na ndogo kabisa na kuzipiga sarafu kwa mujibu wa uzito wa Makkah. Abdulmalik alipiga Dirham za fedha na Dinar za dhahabu mwaka wa 75 Hijria, na tangu wakati huo Dirham na Dinar za Kiislamu zilikuwa katika mzunguko, yaani sarafu ya Dola ya Kiislamu ikajulikana kwa sifa hiyo hiyo isiyobadilika. Kwa hiyo, msingi wa kiwango cha fedha katika Uislamu ulikuwa dhahabu na fedha. Kuhusu ukubwa, sura ya sarafu, umbo na maandishi, hayo yote ni sehemu ya mtindo. Hivyo, maneno ya dhahabu na fedha, yanapotajwa katika istilahi na tathmini ya Shari'ah, yatahusu mambo mawili: Pesa inayozunguka, iwe ni shaba au noti ya karatasi mradi ina thamani sawa (kutoka dhahabu na fedha), na metali mbili za dhahabu na fedha. Pesa yoyote inayotokana na dhahabu au fedha itazingatiwa hivyo, na noti ya karatasi au ya shaba au kitu kama hicho kinachoweza kubadilishwa kuwa dhahabu au fedha pia kitazingatiwa.

This State of affairs continued throughout the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), that of the four Khulafaa Al-Rashideen, and the beginning of the era of Bani Umayyah, until the arrival of Abdulmalik Ibn Marwan, who deemed it appropriate to transform all the gold and silver that was in use at the time, minted and non minted alike, into an Islamic coinage and inscription, and gave it a standard and invariable weight, thus doing away with the need to make reference to their weight. So, He collected the largest and the smallest of coins and minted them according to the weight of Makkah. Abdulmalik minted the Dirhams in silver and the Dinars in gold in the year 75 AH, and ever since that time, Islamic minted Dirhams and Dinars were in circulation i.e. the currency of the Islamic State became distinguished, having the same invariable feature. Therefore, the basis of the monetary standard in Islam was gold and silver. As for size, coinage, form and inscription, these are all part of the style. Therefore, the words of gold and silver, when mentioned in the Shari’ah terminology and evaluation, would apply to two matters: The money which is in circulation, whether it is copper or paper money as long as it has an equivalent (from gold and silver), and the two metals of gold and silver. Any money that is from gold or silver, would thus be considered, and any paper or copper money or the like, which could be transferred into gold or silver would also be considered.