Zakat al-fitr: in-depth questions

What the "Ramadan and fasting" course has already presented Zakaat al-fiṭr is an obligatory charity at the end of Ramadan: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prescribed zakaat al-fiṭr: a ṣaa' of dates or a ṣaa' of barley, on every Muslim, free or slave, male or female, young or old, and he ordered that it be given before the people go out to the prayer" (Bukhari 1503, Muslim 984). It is "a purification for the one who fasted from idle and obscene talk, and food for the poor" (Abu Daawuud 1609) [À VÉRIFIER : numéro et degré]. This lesson goes deeper into the practical questions without repeating that course.

Two different zakaats • The zakaat of wealth concerns wealth (nisab, hawl, 2.5%); zakaat al-fiṭr concerns persons: it is due for each person, even a newborn, whatever the household's wealth, as long as the household has enough to eat on the day and night of Eid (majority position). • For the Hanafi school, it is owed only by someone who owns the nisab, beyond essential needs [À VÉRIFIER : présentation]. • One does not replace the other: someone who pays zakaat on wealth during Ramadan also owes zakaat al-fiṭr.

For whom is it paid? • The head of the household pays it for himself and for those he supports: wife, minor children, dependent parents. • The wife: for the majority, the husband pays it for her; for the Hanafi school, the wife pays it herself if she has the means, the husband being able to pay it for her with her agreement [À VÉRIFIER]. • Adult children with an income pay it themselves (or the father for them, with their agreement). • The unborn child: recommended by many, not obligatory according to the majority; 'Uthmaan used to give it for the foetus, according to a report transmitted by Ibn Abi Shayba [À VÉRIFIER : référence]. • A child born before sunset on the last day of Ramadan: it is due for him according to the majority [À VÉRIFIER : moment exact selon les écoles].

The ṣaa' The ṣaa' is a measure of volume of Madinah, equal to four "mudd" (the contents of two cupped hands). Modern estimates give about 2.0 to 3.0 kg depending on the food and method (often about 2.04 kg of wheat, or 2.5 to 3 kg of rice) [À VÉRIFIER : équivalent retenu par le centre]. The foods mentioned in the hadiths are dates, barley, raisins, dried cheese (aqiṭ) and, in some reports, wheat (Bukhari 1506, Muslim 985) [À VÉRIFIER : numéros]; scholars add the staple food of the country (rice, flour, pasta…).

In food or in money? This is the most debated question in Canada. • Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools: it is given in food, as in the hadiths; giving the value in money is not valid, according to their best-known position. Arguments: the Prophet ﷺ and the companions had money and yet gave food; it is a fixed act of worship. • Hanafi school: the value may be given in money, and it is even better if it better meets the poor person's need. Arguments: the aim is to enrich the poor on the day of Eid ("spare them from asking on that day") [À VÉRIFIER : référence de cette formule], and money allows the poor to buy what they need. Scholars of other schools, including Ibn Taymiyya, allowed it in case of need or clear benefit [À VÉRIFIER : attribution]. • Common practice in the West: the believer gives money to the centre, appointing it as agent (wakaala); the centre, as it chooses, buys food and distributes it, or gives the money to families. This practice can respect both positions depending on how it is organised [À VÉRIFIER : pratique exacte du centre]. The centre's site has a "Zakat al-fitr" page that shows the year's amount and how to pay.

When to give it? • The time of obligation: sunset on the last day of Ramadan (majority) or dawn on the day of Eid (Hanafis) [À VÉRIFIER]. • The deadline: before the Eid prayer. The companions gave it one or two days before (Bukhari 1511). After the prayer, without excuse, it counts as ordinary charity and the delay is a fault; it remains due. • Paying early: a few days before for the majority, from the start of Ramadan for the Shafi'is, and even earlier for the Hanafis [À VÉRIFIER]. • When entrusting it to the centre, one must hand it over early enough for the centre to distribute it before Eid.

Example Omar and Yasmine's household has three children, including a baby born in the middle of Ramadan. Suppose the centre announces $15 per person (a fictitious amount for the example). Omar pays for five people: 5 × 15 = $75, to hand to the centre at the latest one or two days before Eid. If the grandmother who lives with them is his dependant, he adds $15. Their eldest son, who works and lives alone, pays his own.

The text: Surah Al-A'laa (87), verses 14 to 15 قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ تَزَكَّىٰ ﴿١٤﴾ وَذَكَرَ اسْمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلَّىٰ ﴿١٥﴾

Meaning: "Successful indeed is the one who purifies himself, and remembers the name of his Lord, then prays." Several early scholars, including 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziiz, read these verses as an allusion to zakaat al-fiṭr ("purifies himself") and then the Eid prayer ("prays") [À VÉRIFIER : attribution]. The word "tazakkaa" shares the same root as zakaat.

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Simple, version 1.0.2), © 2008-2010 Tanzil.net, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence, reproduced without any change (http://tanzil.net). Each verse is on its own line, followed by its number; the basmala, which the Tanzil file places at the start of the first verse, is written on its own line.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation Zakaat al-fiṭr differs from the zakaat of wealth: it is not a percentage of wealth, but a fixed share per person, so that every household, even a modest one, takes part in the celebration of others. It links two acts of worship: the fast that it purifies, and the Eid that it makes joyful for all. The question "food or money" is a good example of a serious and respectable difference of opinion. Some hold to the letter of the Sunna (food), others to its aim (enriching the poor on that day). In Canada, the most common practice goes through the centre, appointed to distribute as best it can. The believer follows the centre's organisation and respects those who do otherwise. What admits no difference: it must reach the poor before the Eid prayer.

Lessons to draw from it • List the people you pay for: spouse, children, dependent parents, newborn. • Check the amount announced by the centre on the site's "Zakat al-fitr" page. • Pay early, to give the centre time to distribute before Eid. • Do not confuse zakaat al-fiṭr with the zakaat of wealth paid during Ramadan. • Respect other practices without making them a subject of dispute.

Key points to remember • One ṣaa' per person, before the Eid prayer (Bukhari 1503, Muslim 984). • Due for every person in the household, even the newborn (majority). • Ṣaa': about 2 to 3 kg depending on the food [À VÉRIFIER]. • Food: Malikis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis; money allowed: Hanafis [À VÉRIFIER]. • The companions gave it one or two days before Eid (Bukhari 1511).

The main message Zakaat al-fiṭr purifies your fast and opens Eid to all: pay it for every person in your household, on time, according to the centre's organisation.