Praise be to Allaah.
Definition
Zakaat al-Fitr is a kind of
charity (sadaqah) that is obligatory at the time of breaking the fast of
Ramadaan. The word zakaat is connected by idaafah (genitive
structure in Arabic grammar) to fitr because the occasion of breaking the
fast is the reason why this zakaat becomes obligatory.
Reasons for zakaat al-fitr and what Islam says about it
Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made zakaat
al-fitr obligatory as a means of purifying the fasting person from idle talk and
foul language, and to feed the poor. Whoever pays it before the prayer, it is an
accepted zakaat, and whoever pays it after the prayer, it is just a kind of
charity (sadaqah).”
(Reported by Abu Dawood, 1371.
Al-Nawawi said: Abu Dawood reported it from Ibn ‘Abbaas with a hasan isnaad).
“Purifying” means purifying the
soul of the one who has fasted Ramadaan. With regard to the word “foul
language”, Ibn al-Atheer said: “ ‘Foul language’ refers to obscene speech.
‘Feeding [the poor]’ refers to food that is edible. ‘Whoever pays it before the
prayer’ means before Salaat al-‘Eid. ‘It is an accepted zakaat’ – here zakaat
means sadaqat al-fitr. ‘Just a kind of charity’ means a kind of charity that
could be given at any time.”
(‘Awn al-Ma’bood Sharh Abi
Dawood).
It was said that this is what
was meant by the aayah in Soorat al-A’laa (interpretation of the meaning):
“But those will prosper who purify themselves, and glorify the name of their
Guardian-Lord, and (lift their hearts) in Prayer.” [al-A’laa 87:14-15 – Yusuf
Ali’s translation]. It was reported that ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez and
Abu’l-‘Aaliyah said: “He [the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)] paid zakaat al-fitr then he went out for the prayer – i.e., Salaat
al-‘Eid.
(Al-Jassaas, Ahkaam al-Qur’aan,
part 3, Soorat al-A’laa).
Wakee’ ibn al-Jarraah said:
“Zakaat al-fitr for the month of Ramadaan is like two sajdahs of sahw for the
prayer. It makes up for any shortcomings in the fast as the prostrations make up
for any shortcomings in the prayer.”
(Al-Nawawi, al-Majmoo’, part
6).
Rulings on zakaat al-fitr
The correct view is that it is
fard (obligatory), because Ibn ‘Umar said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) made zakaat al-fitr obligatory,” and because of
the consensus of the scholars (ijmaa’) that it is fard.
(Al-Mughni, part 2, Baab
Sadaqat al-Fitr).
When it has to be given
It becomes obligatory when the
sun sets on the last day of Ramadaan. Anyone who gets married, has a baby born
to him or becomes Muslim before the sun sets on that day, has to give zakaat
al-fitr [on behalf of himself and/or his new wife or new baby], but if that
happens after sunset, he does not have to give it… Whoever dies after sunset on
the night of fitr, sadaqat al-fitr must be given on his behalf. This is what
Ahmad stated.”
(Al-Mughni, part 2, Fasl
Waqt Wujoob Zakaat al-Fitr).
Who is obliged to pay it?
1.
Zakaat
al-fitr is obligatory on Muslims. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made
zakaat al-fitr, one saa’ of dates or one saa’ of barley, obligatory on the
Muslims, slave and free, male and female, young and old.”
(Al-Bukhaari, 1407)
·
Al-Shaafa'i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: �The hadeeth of Naafi�
indicates that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) made it obligatory only on the Muslims, which is in accordance with the
Book of Allaah, may He be glorified, because He has made zakaat as a
purification for the Muslims, and purification can only be for the Muslims.�
(Al-Umm, part2, Baab
Zakaat al-Fitr).
·
It is obligatory on those who are able to pay it. Al-Shaafa'i said: �Everyone
who, at the beginning of Shawwaal, has enough food for himself and those whom he
is supporting, for that day, and has enough to give zakaat al-fitr on behalf of
them and himself, should give it on behalf of them and himself. If he only has
enough to give on behalf of some of them, then he should give on behalf of some
of them. If he only has enough for himself and those whom he is supporting, then
he is not obliged to give zakaat al-fitr on his own behalf or on behalf of those
whom he is supporting.”
(Al-Umm, part 2, Baab
Zakaat al-Fitr).
·
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: �The one who is in financial
difficulty is not obliged to give [zakaat al-fitr]; there is no difference among
the scholars in this regard… The obligation is determined by whether or not a
person can afford it. Whoever has one saa’ more than he needs for himself and
those whom he is obliged to support on the night and day of Eid, has enough [is
not in financial difficulty]. Whoever does not have anything more than he needs
is in financial difficulty, so he is not obliged to pay anything in this case.
(Al-Majmoo’, part 6,
Shuroot Wujoob Sadaqat al-Fitr).
·
The Muslim should give on his own behalf and on behalf of those on whom he
spends, such as wives and relatives, if they cannot give it on their own behalf.
If they are able to, it is better for them to give it themselves, because the
command is addressed to them in the first place.
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) made zakaat al-fitr, one saa’ of dates or one saa’ of barley,
obligatory on the Muslims, slave and free, male and female, young and old, and
commanded that it should be given before the people went out to pray.”
(Al-Bukhaari, 1407)
Al-Shaafa'i (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: “The guardian of the insane and the minor should give zakaat
al-fitr on their behalf and on behalf of those for whom they [the insane and
minor] may be responsible, just as the sane person should give on his own
behalf… If there is a kaafir among those whom he is supporting, he does not have
to give zakaat al-fitr on his behalf, because he cannot be purified by zakaah.”
(Al-Umm, part 2, Baab
Zakaat al-Fitr).
The author of al-Muhadhdhab
said: “Al-Musannif (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: ‘If someone has to pay
zakaat al-fitr on his own behalf and on behalf of those whom he is supporting,
if they are Muslim and if has more than he needs to spend on them that he can
give, then the mother and father, and grandparents and great-grandparents, etc.,
may have to pay zakaat al-fitr on behalf of their children and grandchildren and
great-grandchildren, etc., and the children may have to pay zakaat al-fitr on
behalf of their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents, etc., – if they
are obliged to spend on their maintenance.
(Al-Majma’, part 6).
A man has to pay on behalf of
himself and his wife – even if she has money of her own – and his children and
parents if they are poor, and his daughter if she is married but the marriage
has not yet been consummated. If his son is rich, he does not have to give
zakaat al-fitr on his behalf. A husband has to give zakaat al-fitr on behalf of
a divorced wife whose divorce (talaaq) is not yet final (i.e., she is still in
the ‘iddah of a first or second talaaq), but not in the case of a rebellious
wife or one whose divorce is final. A son does not have to give zakaat al-fitr
on behalf of a poor father’s wife because he is not obliged to spend on her.
[When giving zakaat al-fitr],
one should start with the closest people first, so he gives it on behalf of
himself, then his wife, then his children, then the rest of his relatives in
order of closeness, following the pattern laid out in the rules governing
inheritance.
Al-Shaafa'i, may Allaah have
mercy on him, said: “Who I say is obliged to give zakaat al-fitr, if a child is
born to him, or he takes possession of a slave, or someone becomes one of his
dependents, at any time during the last day of Ramadaan, then the suns sets on
the night of the crescent of Shawwaal, he has to give zakaat al-fitr on that
person’s behalf.”
(Al-Umm, Baab Zakaat
al-Fitr al-Thaani).
It is not obligatory to give
zakaat al-fitr on behalf of a foetus that is still in the mother’s womb, but if
this is done voluntarily, there is nothing wrong with it.
If someone who is obliged to
give zakaat al-fitr dies before giving it, it must be given from his estate…
even if the person who was supporting him also dies, the obligation still
stands.
(Al-Mughni,
part 2).
If a servant has set wages that
are paid to him daily or monthly, the employer does not have to give zakaat
al-fitr on his behalf, because he is a hired worker, and one is not obliged to
spend on a hired worker.
(al-Mawsoo’ah,
23/339).
Concerning giving zakaat
al-fitr on behalf of an orphan, Imaam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said: “The guardian should give zakaat al-fitr on behalf of the orphans some of
whose wealth is under his control, even if they are minors.”
(Al-Mudawwanah,
part 1).
Amount of zakaat al-fitr
The amount to be given is one
saa’ of food, according to the measure of saa’ used by the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), because of the following hadeeth.
- Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: “At the time of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) we used to give it in the form of a saa’ of
food…”
(Reported
by al-Bukhaari, 1412).
The weight of the saa’ [which
is a measure of volume] varies according to the type of food concerned, so when
giving zakaat al-fitr by weight, one must make sure that what is given is
equivalent to a saa’ of that type of food. A saa’ is approximately equivalent to
three kilograms of rice.
Types of things that may be
given
What should be given is food
for human consumption, such as dates, wheat, rice or other kinds of food that
humans eat. It is reported in al-Saheehayn from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be
pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) made zakaat al-fitr, one saa’ of dates or one saa’ of
barley, obligatory on the Muslims, slave and free, male and female,. (At that
time, barley was one of the foods they ate).
(Al-Bukhaari, 1408)
Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: “At the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), we used to give a saa’ of food on the day
of Fitr.” Abu Sa’eed said: “And our food was barley, raisins, aqit (dried
yoghurt) and dates.”
(Reported
by al-Bukhaari, 1408).
It should be given in the form
of the staple food that is used locally, whether it is wheat, rice, dates or
lentils…
Al-Shaafa'i (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: “If the staple food of a people is corn, pearl millet
(dukhn), thin-husked barley (sult), rice or any grain on which zakaat is
obligatory, then they may give it as zakaat al-fitr.
(Al-Shaafa'i, al-Umm, part 2, Baab al-Rajul yakhtalifu qootuhu)
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: “Our companions said: ‘It is a condition of giving something
as zakaat al-fitr that it should be one of the foodstuffs on which zakaat is
paid at the rate of one-tenth (i.e., zakaah of grains and fruits). Nothing else
is acceptable except aqit (dried yoghurt), cheese and milk.’”
Al-Maawardi said: “This is the
case even though some of the people who live on islands and others have fish or
eggs as their staple food; these are not acceptable (as zakaat al-fitr) and
there is no difference (among the scholars concerning this). As regards meat,
the correct view is that stated by al-Shaafa'i and confirmed by al-Musannif and
the companions in all that was narrated from them: that it is not acceptable (as
zakaat al-fitr), and this is the unanimous view (of the scholars)… Our
companions said: ‘This is the case even if their staple food is fruits on which
they do not have to give one-tenth as zakaat, such as figs etc. These are not
acceptable (as zakaat al-fitr) at all.”
(Al-Majmoo’,
part 6: al-Waajib fi Zakaat al-Fitr).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: “If it was said, ‘You must give a saa’ of dates everywhere,
whether it is the staple food or not,’ this is a disputed matter which is
subject to ijtihaad. There are some people who say that it is obligatory, and
others who say that in each country it is obligatory to give a saa’ of whatever
is the staple food there, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) specified five types of food for zakaat al-fitr, so in each country they
can give the equivalent of a saa’ of their staple food. This is more correct,
and is closer to the principles of sharee’ah, for how can you make it obligatory
for people whose staple food is fish, for example, or rice or pearl millet, to
give dates? … And Allaah is the Source of strength.
(I’laam
al-Muwaqqa’een, part 2, al-Qiyaas).
It is permissible to give pasta
(“macaroni”) that is made from wheat, but one must make certain that the weight
is equivalent to the weight of a saa’ of wheat.
As for giving zakaat al-fitr in
the form of money, this is not permissible at all, because the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that it must be given in the form of
food, not money. He clearly stated that it is to be given in the form of food,
so it is not permissible to give it in any other form and Islam wants it to be
given openly, not secretly. The Sahaabah gave zakaat al-fitr in the form of
food, and we should follow, not innovate. The giving of zakaat al-fitr in the
form of food is regulated by the measure of saa’, and if it were to be given in
the form of money, it could not be regulated in this manner: according to the
price of what would it be worked out and given? There are obvious benefits to
giving it in the form of staple foods, such as at times when businessmen are
hoarding certain goods, prices have gone up, or at times of war and inflation.
If someone were to say, “But money is more useful for the poor, because then
they can buy what they want, and they might need something other than food, so
the poor person might sell the food and lose money.” The response to this is
that there are other sources for meeting the needs of the poor with regard to
shelter, clothing and so on, which are provided for from the zakaat paid on
people’s wealth (zakaat al-maal), general charity and other kinds of donations.
Let us put things into the proper Islamic perspective and adhere to what was set
out by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who told us that
giving a saa’ of food to feed the poor is obligatory. If we give food to a poor
person, he will eat it and will benefit from it sooner or later, because it is
the kind of food he uses anyway.
On this basis, it is not
permissible, for the purposes of zakaat al-fitr, to give money for a person to
pay off his debts or to cover the cost of surgery for a sick person or to pay
for tuition for a needy student and so on. There are other sources for this kind
of help, as stated above.
The time for giving zakaat
al-fitr
It should be given before the
Eid prayer, as is stated in the hadeeth that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) “commanded that it should be given before the people went
out to pray.”
(Al-Bukhaari, 1407).
There is a time when it is
mustahabb (preferable) to give it and a time when it is permissible to give it.
The time when it is mustahabb
to give it is on the day of Eid, because of the hadeeth quoted above. For this
reason it is Sunnah to delay the Eid prayer on Eid al-Fitr so as to allow enough
time for those who have to give zakaat al-fitr to do so, and to have breakfast
before coming out. On the other hand, it is Sunnah to hasten the Eid prayers on
Eid al-Adhaa so that the people can go and offer their sacrifices and eat from
them.
The time when it is permissible
to give zakaat al-fitr is one or two days before Eid. In Saheeh al-Bukhaari
it is reported that Naafi’ said: “Ibn ‘Umar used to give on behalf of the young
and the old, and he even used to give on behalf of my sons. He would give to
those who took it, and it would be given a day or two before (Eid) al-Fitr.”
(“Those who took it” refers to
those who were appointed by the imaam to collect the sadaqat al-fitr).
Naafi’ said: “Ibn ‘Umar used to
send zakaat al-fitr to the one who was collecting it two or three days before
(‘Eid) al-Fitr.”
(al-Mudawwanah,
part 1, Baab Ta’jeel al-Zakaah qabla huloolihaa).
It is disliked (makrooh) to
delay giving it until after Salaat al-‘Eid; some scholars said that this is
haraam and is counted as qadaa’ (making up a duty that has not been performed on
time), on the basis of the hadeeth, “Whoever pays it before the prayer, it is an
accepted zakaat, and whoever pays it after the prayer, it is just a kind of
charity.”
(Reported
by Abu Dawood, 1371).
It says in ‘Awn al-Ma’bood
Sharh Abi Dawood: “Obviously, the one who gives zakaat al-fitr after the
prayer is like one who did not give it, because they have in common the fact
that they did not give this obligatory charity. Most of the scholars think that
giving it before Salaat al-‘Eid is only mustahabb, and they confirmed that it is
OK to give it at any time until the end of the day of Fitr, but this opinion is
refuted by the hadeeth. With regard to delaying it until after the day of Eid,
Ibn Ruslaan said: “This is haraam by consensus, because it is zakaah, so the one
who delays it must be committing a sin, as is the case when one delays a
prayer.”
So it is haraam to delay giving
it for no good reason, because this defeats the purpose, which is to save the
poor from having to ask on the day of joy. If a person delays giving it with no
excuse, he has committed a sin but he still has to make it up.
Zakaat al-fitr has to be handed
over to someone who is entitled to it or someone who has been appointed to
collect it, at the right time before the Eid prayer. If a man wants to give it
to a particular person, but cannot find him or a trustee who can accept it on
his behalf, and he is afraid that time is running out, he has to give it to
another entitled person, and not delay giving it. If a person wants to give his
zakaat al-fitr to a specific needy person, and is afraid that he may not see him
at the appropriate time, he should tell him to appoint someone to accept it on
his behalf, or to appoint him (the giver) to take it from himself on his behalf.
Then when the time comes, he can take it to him in a bag or whatever, or keep it
for him as a trust until he sees him.
If the one who wants to give
zakaat appoints someone else to give it on his behalf, he is still responsible
for it until he is certain that his deputy has carried out his instructions.
(Majaalis
Shahr Ramadaan: Ahkaam Zakaat al-Fitr, by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen).
To whom it may be given
Zakaat al-Fitr may be given to
the eight categories of people to whom zakaat al-maal may be given. This is the
opinion of the majority. According to the Maalikis, one of the opinions of Ahmad
and the opinion of Ibn Taymiyyah, it should be given exclusively to the poor and
needy.
·
(Al-Shaafa'i said): �Zakaat al-fitr should be divided among those among whom
zakaat al-maal is divided, and it should not be spent anywhere else… It should
be shared out among the poor and needy, slaves who have made a contract to
purchase their freedom from their masters, debtors, those who are fighting in
the way of Allaah, and wayfarers.
(Kitaab
al-Umm: Baab Day�ah Zakaat al-Fitr qabla Qasmihaa)
·
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, after quoting the hadeeth of Ibn
�Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said to Mu’aadh (may Allaah be pleased with him): “Tell
them that they have to give sadaqah (charity) that is to be taken from their
wealth and given to the poor”: “It is not permissible to give any part of zakaah
to a kaafir, whether it is zakaat al-fitr or zakaat al-maal… Maalik, al-Layth,
Ahmad and Abu Thawr said: ‘They (i.e., kaafirs) should not be given it.’”
Zakaah should be given to the
poor, those who have overwhelming debts, and those whose salaries are not enough
to last until the end of the month, in accordance with the level of their needs.
It is not permissible for the
one who gives zakaat al-fitr to buy it back from the one to whom he has given
it.
(Fataawaa
al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen).
Payment and distribution
·
It is preferable for the person who is giving to share it out himself.
(Al-Shaafa'i said): �I prefer to share out zakaat al-fitr myself rather than
give it to the one who is collecting it.�
·
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: �Al-Shaafa'i said in
al-Mukhtasar: ‘Zakaat al-fitr is to be shared out among those to whom zakaat
al-maal is shared out. I prefer that it should be given to relatives on whom it
is not obligatory to spend at all.’ He said: ‘If he prefers to give it to the
one who is collecting it, this should be fine, in sha Allaah… but it is better
to share it out himself… If he gives it to the Muslim leader or the collector or
the one who is collecting the people’s zakaat al-fitr, and he is given
permission to give it, this is fine, but sharing it out himself is better than
all of this.��
(al-Majmoo�,
part 6).
·
It is permissible to appoint a trustworthy person to hand it over to those who
are entitled to it, but if he is not trustworthy, then it is not allowed.
�Abd-Allaah ibn al-Mu’ammal said: “I heard Ibn Abi Mulaykah, when a man was
saying to him, ‘So-and-so told me to leave my zakaat al-fitr in the mosque,’ Ibn
Abi Mulaykah said, ‘He does not know what he is talking about. You go and share
it out (yourself), otherwise Ibn Hishaam (the governor who was collecting it in
the mosque) will give it to his guards and whoever he wants’ (i.e., he would
give it to people who were not entitled to it).”
(Al-Umm:
Baab day’at Zakaat al-Fitr qabla Qasmihaa).
Imaam Ahmad (may Allaah have
mercy on him) stated that it is permissible to share out one saa’ among a group
of people, or to give many saa’s to one person…
Maalik said: “there is nothing
wrong with a man giving sadaqat al-fitr on behalf of himself and his family to
one needy person.”
(al-Mudawwanah,
part 1, Baab fi Qasm Zakaat al-Fitr).
If one is giving less than a
saa’ to a poor person, this must be pointed out, because he might use it to pay
his own zakaat al-fitr.
It is permissible for a poor
person, if he receives zakaat al-fitrah from someone and he has more than he
needs, to give it on his own behalf or on behalf of one of those who are
dependent on him, if he is sure that the food is OK (i.e., it is the right type
of food and the quantity is sufficient).
Where to give zakaat al-fitr
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: “As for zakaat al-fitr, it should be shared out in the
country where it became obligatory, whether a person has wealth there or not,
because it is the reason why zakaat became obligatory…”
(al-Mughni,
part 2, Fasl idhaa kaana al-muzakki fi balad wa maaluhu fi balad)
It was reported in
al-Mudawwanah Fiqh al-Imaam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him): “I said:
What is the opinion of Maalik on someone who comes from Ifreeqiyah (‘Africa’)
and is in Egypt on the day of Fitr – where should he give his zakaat al-fitr?
Malik said: [He should give it] where he is. Maalik said: if his family in
Ifreeqiyah give it on his behalf, that is fine. (What was meant by
Ifreeqiyah/‘Africa’ in those days is different from what it means now).”
(Part 1,
Baab fi Ikhraaj al-Musaafir Zakaat al-Fitr)
We ask Allaah to accept the
worship of all of us and to join us with the righteous. May Allaah bless our
Prophet Muhammad and all his family and companions.
