All praise and thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of the worlds. Peace and blessings be upon our Prophet, Muhammad, his family and all his Companions. To proceed
Many of the Muslims residing in Britain, and other countries not ruled by Muslims, ask how one should give
Zakāt al-Fitr, therefore in order to clarify the rulings concerning this great symbol of Islām this treatise has been written.
Its definition
Zakātu-l-Fitr is zakāt which is given at the end of the month of Ramadān by every Muslim, young or old, male or female, free or slave.
Its wisdom
This was explained by the Exegete of the Qurān, the noble Companion, Abdullāh bin Abbās when he said,
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the Messenger of Allāh sal-Allāhu alayhi wa sallam obligated Zakāt ul-Fitr to serve as purification for the one fasting for any vain speech or indecent behaviour; and also to serve as food for the needy. Whoever gives it before the salāh [of Id], it is an accepted zakāt, whoever gives it after the salāh, it is to be regarded as sadaqah.
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Its ruling
In the view of the majority of scholars, early and later, it is obligatory; this due to the saying of ibn Umar,
the Messenger of Allāh sal-Allāhu alayhi wa sallam obligated zakāt ul-fitr as one sā of dates, or one sā of barley upon the slave, the free, the male, the female, the young and the old Muslim. He ordered that it be given before the people leave for the prayer. Agreed upon, and the wording is that of Bukhārī.
On whom is it obligatory and for whom?
It is obligatory upon the Muslim, male or female; slave or free, if he finds that he has a surplus of property after having catered for his core needs on the day and night of Id such as food, shelter, clothes etc. He must give this on his own behalf and on behalf of all Muslims who are dependant upon him, be that dependant young or old, free or slave, provided that the dependant is not able to give the zakāt on his or her own behalf. If they are able, it is better that they give on their own behalf due to the generality of the address that the Prophet
sal-Allāhu alayhi wa sallam gave to the Muslims.
With regards the young and insane, it should be paid on their behalf by their legal guardian from their own wealth, if they have wealth, or if not, they take the ruling of those who are unable to pay on their own behalf. If a woman is the head of the household, she must pay on her own behalf and for her dependants as previously explained.
The meaning of dependant is that person on whom it is a duty upon a person to provide for. If someone were to give on behalf of a dependant who is a disbeliever, there is no harm in this inshāAllāh in accord with the school of the Hanafīs.
What should be given and how much
Zakāt ul-Fitr should be given as that food which constitutes the staple diet of the country in which one resides, hence it is possible that it be given as rice in some countries and flour or wheat in others etc. It is also possible to give it as modern day foodstuffs, provided that the food can be stored, such as macaroni. The proof for this is the hadīth of Abū Saīd al-Khudrī who said,
we would zakātul-fitr as a sā of food, or a sā of barley, or a sā of dates, or a sā of aqit (Dry crumbled Milk), or a sā of raisins. Agreed upon.
It is best for a person not to give money, but is it permissible to give the monetary value of that food as
zakāt ul-fitr? The majority of scholars say that this is not permissible whereas the Hanafīs say that it is. It is best that a person does not give its monetary value but gives it as food, because this is what the text speaks of; moreover the specific reasoning of the text further proves that this is what should be given. Therefore it is not possible to exercise
ijtihād on this issue by claiming that one is looking to the reasoning behind the ruling. Furthermore
zakāt ul-fitr is a very specific form of zakāt and as such analogy cannot be made between it and the zakāt of ones wealth and property; its source is different; the ones upon whom it is obligatory are different; and its timing is different. Therefore it is not of same category as the zakāt that one gives of his wealth and property, it cannot be said that it has the same purpose and hence it cannot be adjoined to it.
To whom should it be given?
It is best that
zakāt ul-fitr be given to the poor and the needy (
al-miskīn - someone whose level of poverty is more or less than the poor [
al-faqīr], but does not let others know of his need nor does he beg from others); these are the first two categories of the eight to whom zakāt is normally given to; this due to his,
sal-Allāhu alayhi wa sallam, saying,
and as food for the needy. The majority of scholars are of the opinion that
zakāt ul-fitr is not to be given to non-Muslims.
When should it be given?
It is best that it be given one or two days before the Id prayer, meaning that it should be given on the twenty-ninth day of Ramadān onwards. Bukhārī records that
they would give zakāt ul-fitr a day or two before Id.
In the case that one giving
zakāt ul-fitr gives money to an Islamic organisation which acts as a representative on his behalf to convert this money to food, there is no harm in giving the value in money to such an organisation a number of days before Id. This is because in this case someone else is acting on his behalf and he is not directly giving zakāt; the person he is giving money to is acting as his representative and hence he is not actually giving the zakāt at that time.
It is best that a person give it before his praying Id and that he not delay it till after the prayer due to the saying of ibn Umar that
The Prophet sal-Allāhu alayhi wa sallam ordered that it be given before the people leave for the prayer. Agreed upon.
If the person is to pray in a Mosque in which a number of Īd congregations will be held, and he is determined to pray in the second congregation, for example, then the time for his giving
zakātu-l-fitr is extended until before he prays his prayer.
How should one give food in these countries?
If a Muslim finds one who is deserving of being given
zakāt ul-fitr, he must give them a sā of food. If he does not find anyone, he can give that amount of money that is equivalent to the cost of food in these countries to an Islamic organisation that can distribute it as food in other lands. His intention should be that he is giving this money to a representative who can act on his behalf to buy food. The scholars have allowed this transferral, especially when a need dictates that it be done. Our state here where it is hard to find the poor and the needy, the difficulty that exists in trying to give it as food coupled with the dire need that exists in other lands, is a strong reason allowing one to transfer food to another country.
How much should be given?
A sā of food, which in modern day usage translates to 2.25kg.
It is possible that a person give his
zakāt ul-fitr and the
zakāt ul-fitr of his dependants to one person just as it is possible that the
zakāt ul-fitr of one person be distributed amongst a number of indigent people.