Ramadan events and lessons | Episode (5) | Obligation of Zakat al-Fitr

0:00 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

0:05 A Abridgment of the Book:

0:07 Ramadan:

0:09 Events and Lessons.

0:11 The Obligation of Zakat al-Fitr.

0:17 The Time of Its Enactment:

0:19 Towards the end of the month of Ramadan,

0:21 two days before Eid,

0:23 in the second year of the Hijrah.

0:26 Zakat al-Fitr, or Sadaqat al-Fitr,

0:32 is one of the acts of worship that follow the fast of the month of Ramadan.

0:36 It is an expression of the diversification of acts of worship during Ramadan,

0:41 alongside fasting, prayer, remembrance of Allah, and Qur'an recitation.

0:45 It serves to rectify crooked behavior,

0:48 correct bad character,

0:50 and show benevolence and mercy toward the needy.

0:53 Zakat al-Fitr

0:55 is the zakat made obligatory due to breaking the fast of Ramadan.

0:59 It is also defined as:

1:01 a Muslim giving a needy person a *sa'* of the staple food of the region to cover their sustenance for the day of Eid.

1:08 The Date of Its Enactment:

1:12 It was made obligatory in the second year of the Hijrah, during Ramadan,

1:17 two days before Eid.

1:19 Wisdoms and Rulings Pertaining to Zakat al-Fitr:

1:25 First: Its Underlying Wisdom.

1:28 Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) narrated:

1:32 "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordained Zakat al-Fitr

1:37 as a purification for the fasting person from idle talk and obscene language,

1:41 and as food for the needy.

1:44 Whoever pays it before the Eid prayer,

1:46 it is an accepted zakat;

1:49 and whoever pays it after the prayer,

1:51 it is merely a charity among charities."

1:55 In this hadith,

1:57 two wisdoms for Sadaqat al-Fitr are mentioned:

2:00 the first pertains to the giver,

2:03 and the second pertains to the recipient.

2:06 As for the giver, shortcomings may occur during their fast

2:10 due to idle, coarse, false, or indecent speech—

2:14 which constitutes idle talk and obscenity.

2:17 Thus, Zakat al-Fitr intervenes

2:19 to purify the fasting person from this foulness,

2:22 so that their fast remains free of deficiency.

2:27 As for the recipient,

2:29 they benefit from the food, which spares them from having to seek labor on the day of Eid,

2:34 allowing them to rejoice just as other people rejoice,

2:37 sitting among their family and children

2:40 because their basic needs are met.

2:42 Second:

2:44 Its Legal Ruling and Upon Whom It Is Obligatory.

2:48 Zakat al-Fitr is an individual obligation (*fard 'ayn*) upon every Muslim,

2:53 whether male or female,

2:56 young or old,

2:58 free or enslaved,

3:00 rich or poor—provided they possess food beyond their needs for the night of Eid

3:04 and the day of Eid, for themselves and their dependents.

3:07 This ruling is substantiated by

3:10 the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), who said:

3:13 "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordained

3:17 Zakat al-Fitr

3:19 as a *sa'* of dates or a *sa'* of barley

3:22 upon every slave and free person,

3:24 male and female,

3:26 young and old among the Muslims."

3:30 Third:

3:32 The Prerequisite of a Minimum Threshold (*Nisab*).

3:34 The majority of jurists—

3:36 including the Malikis, Shafi'is, and Hanbalis—

3:40 held that Sadaqat al-Fitr

3:42 is obligatory upon anyone who is able to afford it,

3:45 and possessing a *nisab* is not a prerequisite for its obligation.

3:48 Rather, its threshold is that a Muslim possesses

3:51 surplus food beyond their own sustenance and the sustenance of those they are obligated to support

3:55 for the night of Eid and its day.

3:58 This is proven by the hadith of 'Abdullah ibn Tha'labah

4:01 (or Tha'labah ibn 'Abdullah ibn Abi S'ir),

4:04 from his father (may Allah be pleased with him), who reported that

4:07 the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

4:11 "A *sa'* of wheat or grain

4:14 is due from every young or old,

4:17 free person or slave,

4:19 male or female,

4:21 rich or poor.

4:23 As for the rich among you,

4:25 Allah will purify them;

4:27 and as for the poor among you,

4:29 Allah will grant them in return

4:31 far more than what they have given."

4:33 Fourth:

4:36 The Types of Food from Which It May Be Given.

4:39 Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported:

4:43 "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordained

4:47 Zakat al-Fitr

4:48 as a *sa'* of dates

4:50 or a *sa'* of barley

4:52 upon the slave and the free,

4:54 male and female,

4:56 young and old

4:58 among the Muslims."

5:00 And Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

5:03 "We used to give Zakat al-Fitr

5:06 during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)

5:10 as a *sa'* of food,

5:12 or a *sa'* of barley,

5:14 or a *sa'* of dates,

5:16 or a *sa'* of raisins,

5:18 or a *sa'* of dried yogurt (*aqit*)."

5:21 In these two hadiths,

5:25 several food types were mentioned:

5:27 dates, barley,

5:29 raisins, dried yogurt, and wheat.

5:32 What is evident

5:34 is that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)

5:37 did not intend to restrict the payment strictly to these items;

5:41 rather, he mentioned them as examples of common staple foods,

5:45 as those items were

5:47 the primary food staples of the people at that time.

5:49 Therefore, the governing factor is the prevailing staple food of a region:

5:52 whatever constitutes a prevailing, permissible staple food

5:55 may be given,

5:57 while non-staples should not be given,

6:00 whether from these specific types

6:02 or others.

6:04 Food staples vary

6:06 according to time and place;

6:08 in our era, there are staples

6:11 that did not exist

6:13 or were not common

6:15 in past times,

6:17 and vice versa.

6:20 Fifth:

6:21 Paying the Monetary Value for Zakat al-Fitr.

6:25 A scholarly disagreement arose among jurists

6:27 regarding the permissibility of paying monetary value

6:29 instead of food for Zakat al-Fitr.

6:32 The most correct view

6:33 is that the giver of zakat should consider

6:35 the best interest of the poor person

6:37 to whom Zakat al-Fitr will be distributed.

6:40 If they see that giving food

6:42 is better for their situation,

6:44 they should give them food;

6:46 in doing so, they will have combined

6:48 both the textual directive and the legal intent (*maqsid*) of the Shariah.

6:51 For instance, if there is a shortage

6:53 of food available to the poor person

6:55 or in the market

6:56 due to an economic crisis;

6:58 or if the head of the household

7:00 is someone who squanders money

7:02 on unlawful matters or idle entertainment

7:04 while their family is in dire need of food.

7:07 Conversely, if they see that giving

7:09 cash

7:11 is more beneficial to the poor person and their family,

7:13 they should give cash

7:14 equivalent to the value of the prevailing staple food.

7:16 For instance, if the poor person

7:18 already has an abundance of food,

7:20 but has a pressing need

7:22 for cash currency

7:24 to purchase cooking fuel,

7:26 such as cooking gas,

7:29 or to purchase meat for Eid,

7:31 or if their need is

7:33 to buy clothes for their children,

7:36 or medication for their own healing

7:38 or for a member of their family,

7:40 or similar important necessities.

7:43 In such cases, paying the monetary value

7:45 directly fulfills the need of the poor,

7:47 ensuring the charity reaches its proper target.

7:50 And Allah knows best.

7:52 Sixth:

7:55 The Obligatory Amount Due Per Person.

7:58 It has been narrated in the hadiths of Ibn 'Umar

8:00 and Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with them)

8:03 that the required amount per person

8:06 is one *sa'* of food.

8:08 Ibn 'Umar stated:

8:10 "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordained

8:13 Zakat al-Fitr

8:15 as a *sa'* of dates or a *sa'* of barley."

8:19 And Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:

8:23 "We used to give Zakat al-Fitr

8:25 during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)

8:29 as a *sa'* of food."

8:32 Seventh:

8:34 The Time of Obligation.

8:36 It becomes obligatory at sunset on the last day of the month of Ramadan,

8:40 based on the statement of Ibn 'Abbas:

8:42 "The Prophet (peace be upon him)

8:45 ordained Zakat al-Fitr

8:47 as a purification for the fasting person from idle talk and obscene language,"

8:51 and the statement of Ibn 'Umar:

8:53 "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordained

8:56 the Zakat of breaking the fast (*Zakat al-Fitr*)."

8:58 Breaking the fast of Ramadan

9:00 It only takes effect with the setting of the sun

9:03 on the eve of Eid.

9:05 Because it is attributed to *fitr* (breaking the fast),

9:08 it becomes obligatory on its account, just like the zakat on wealth (*zakat al-mal*).

9:12 This is because such attribution indicates a specific association,

9:16 and the underlying cause is more specifically tied to its ruling than anything else.

9:20 Eighth:

9:22 The time of payment.

9:24 The preferred scholarly view regarding the time of paying zakat al-fitr

9:28 is as follows:

9:30 First:

9:31 Distributing it before the Eid prayer

9:34 is obligatory for anyone who has not distributed it prior to that.

9:37 Second:

9:39 Distributing it a day or two before Eid

9:43 is a period of permissibility, choice, and precaution.

9:46 It is permissible,

9:48 for in the previously mentioned hadith of Ibn 'Umar,

9:50 Nafi' said:

9:52 "They used to give it a day or two before the fast-breaking."

9:56 This reference to "they" implies all of the Companions,

9:59 thus constituting a consensus (*ijma'*).

10:01 Furthermore, advancing it by this short duration

10:04 does not defeat its intended purpose,

10:07 as it usually remains—or at least part of it remains—until the day of Eid,

10:12 thereby enriching the poor so they need not wander and beg on that day.

10:16 Third:

10:17 The opinion that permits paying it from the middle of Ramadan,

10:21 the beginning of Ramadan,

10:23 or even a year or more before Ramadan,

10:26 is a weak opinion.

10:28 This is due to the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), who said:

10:32 "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded that zakat al-fitr

10:37 be delivered before the people go out to the prayer."

10:41 A command denotes obligation,

10:43 and paying it too far in advance

10:46 fails to ensure that the poor are enriched specifically on the day of Eid.

10:50 This is because the cause of its obligation is the breaking of the fast of Ramadan,

10:53 not the commencement of Ramadan,

10:56 as evidenced by its construct attribution to *fitr* (fast-breaking).

10:59 As for analogizing it to zakat al-mal,

11:02 it is a flawed analogy with a significant disparity (*qiyas ma'a al-fariq*).

11:05 The cause for zakat al-mal is reaching the minimum threshold of wealth (*nisab*),

11:08 and its purpose is to sustain the poor throughout the entire year,

11:13 making it permissible to pay it at any point during the year.

11:16 In contrast, zakat al-fitr

11:18 aims specifically at

11:20 enriching the poor during a designated time;

11:23 hence, it is not permissible to pay it before that designated time.

11:26 However, if it is collected from the people

11:29 starting from the beginning or middle of Ramadan

11:32 by a specific individual or organization

11:35 in order to organize its distribution to those who deserve it,

11:38 there is no harm in that,

11:40 provided that it reaches the poor person

11:43 shortly before the Eid prayer,

11:45 or a day or two before Eid.

11:48 Fourth:

11:50 Distributing it after the Eid prayer

11:52 without a valid Islamically recognized excuse

11:55 renders it non-fulfilling of the obligation;

11:57 it then counts merely as a general charity,

12:00 and the person sins for the delay.

12:03 This is because discharging it after the prayer

12:06 defeats part of the intended objective,

12:08 which is to enrich the poor on this specific day;

12:11 thus, sufficiency is not achieved for them

12:13 until after the prayer has concluded.

12:15 Anyone who intends to give to them to make them self-sufficient

12:18 must ensure it is delivered

12:21 before the prayer,

12:23 so that the joy of this day

12:25 encompasses everyone.

12:27 Ninth:

12:30 The place of its distribution.

12:32 The jurists have agreed

12:34 that zakat al-fitr

12:36 is to be paid where the giver is physically located—

12:38 meaning in the town where the person is present

12:41 at the moment zakat al-fitr becomes obligatory

12:43 while residing there.

12:45 Because it is a zakat on the physical self,

12:47 it follows the location of the body.

12:50 Accordingly,

12:52 if someone is in Mecca at the end of Ramadan,

12:55 even if he is not a resident of Mecca,

12:58 he pays it in Mecca,

13:00 while his family pays it on their own behalf

13:03 in their home country.

13:05 This is the default rule regarding zakat al-fitr.

13:08 However, it is permissible to transfer it to a town

13:11 other than that of the payer

13:13 where it became obligatory,

13:15 if there are no poor people in the place

13:17 where it fell due.

13:19 It has also been said that it may be transferred

13:21 if those elsewhere are in far greater need

13:24 than the people of the town where it became due,

13:27 though the first view is more correct.

13:29 In summary,

13:31 zakat al-fitr shares the same ruling as zakat al-mal

13:34 regarding its transfer to another location.

13:36 And Allah knows best.

13:39 Tenth:

13:41 Its eligible beneficiaries.

13:43 The preferred opinion is that it is designated exclusively

13:45 for the poor and the needy,

13:47 to the exclusion of the other categories of zakat recipients.

13:53 Ramadan: Events and Lessons.

Ramadan events and lessons | Episode (5) | Obligation of Zakat al-Fitr

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