What should a woman do who sold unused gold (not for adornment) a long time ago, and was ignorant of the obligation of zakat on it, and now paying the amount will make it large?

If jewelry is not intended for adornment and reaches the nisab (the minimum threshold for zakat), then zakat is obligatory on it by scholarly consensus, based on the Almighty's saying: "And those who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah – give them tidings of a painful punishment." Therefore, this woman is obligated to pay zakat for the past years, for the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Allah's debt is more worthy of being paid."

The woman must pay this debt if she finds herself with a surplus beyond her needs, even if it is a large amount, to clear her conscience. If she does not find a surplus, then she must pay the zakat gradually whenever money becomes available, by calculating a quarter of a tenth for each year that passed on the gold before it was sold. Some scholars believe in deducting what was paid in the previous year from the zakat of the following year, but the safer approach is to calculate a quarter of a tenth for all past years based on the value of the gold.