Abu Dawud

1620. Commentary: It is mentioned in Sunan Dar Qutni: (Indeed, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam stood to deliver a sermon and commanded the giving of zakat al-fitr on behalf of the young and the old, the free and the slave—a sa‘ (measure) of dates or a complete sa‘ of barley for every individual or for every head, or a sa‘ of wheat.) (Kitab az-Zakawah al-Fitr 2/147, Hadith 2090) When the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam stood to deliver the sermon, he commanded the giving of zakat al-fitr. One sa‘ (measure) of dates or barley should be given on behalf of every young and old, free and slave, or one sa‘ of wheat.

1619. Commentary: Just as with zakat on wealth, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) commanded that zakat al-fitr be given as one sa‘ (approx. 2.5–3 kg) from the staple food grains. Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (radi Allahu anhu) explains in detail that during the time of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), in accordance with his command, we would give one sa‘ of zakat al-fitr from our food items, and our staple foods were raisins, dates, and cheese. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Zakat al-Fitr, Chapter: Charity before Eid, Hadith 1510) That is, wheat was not common in that era. Later, when wheat became widespread, zakat al-fitr began to be given from it. From the narration of Ibn ‘Umar (radi Allahu anhu), it is known that people, basing it on value, began to give two mudd or half a sa‘ of wheat instead of one sa‘ or four mudd as with other grains. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Zakat al-Fitr, Chapter: Zakat al-Fitr as a sa‘ of dates, Hadith 1507) Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (radi Allahu anhu) also clarifies that the practice of giving half a sa‘ of wheat began among people when (falamma ja’a Mu‘awiyah wa ja’at al-samra’...) Mu‘awiyah (radi Allahu anhu) came and the “samra’” (Syrian wheat) arrived. Mu‘awiyah (radi Allahu anhu) said, “In my opinion, one mudd of this wheat is equivalent to two mudd of the other food items.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Zakat al-Fitr, Chapter: A sa‘ of raisins, Hadith 1508) In Abu Dawud, in the narration of Ibn ‘Umar (radi Allahu anhu) (Hadith 1614), it is stated that ‘Umar (radi Allahu anhu) equated half a sa‘ of wheat to half a sa‘ of the other items. However, according to some scholars of hadith criticism, this narration is weak altogether. (Da‘if Abi Dawud by al-Albani, Book of Zakat, Chapter: How much is to be given in zakat al-fitr) Otherwise, it is agreed upon that in this hadith, Imam Muslim (rahimahullah) considered the mention of ‘Umar (radi Allahu anhu) to be a mistake of the narrator ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Abi Rawwad. (Fath al-Bari, Book of Zakat, Chapter: Zakat al-Fitr as a sa‘ of dates) The opinion of half a sa‘ is also transmitted from Abu Hurayrah (radi Allahu anhu), Jabir (radi Allahu anhu), Ibn ‘Abbas (radi Allahu anhu), Ibn al-Zubayr (radi Allahu anhu) and his mother Asma’ bint Abi Bakr (radi Allahu anha), as well as from ‘Uthman (radi Allahu anhu) and ‘Ali (radi Allahu anhu). But there is no consensus among the Companions (radi Allahu anhum) on this, because some other Companions, such as Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (radi Allahu anhu), opposed this view. From ‘Ali (radi Allahu anhu), just as it is narrated that he, considering the price, once permitted half a sa‘, it is also narrated that later, seeing the cheapness of wheat, he again commanded the giving of a full sa‘. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Book of Zakat, Hadith 1622) Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah), after mentioning this difference among the Companions (radi Allahu anhum), comments that if, in every era, zakat al-fitr is given based on price, its amount will never remain fixed. Rather, it is possible that (due to fluctuations in prices) at some time, many sa‘ of wheat would have to be given. (Fath al-Bari, Book of Zakat, Chapter: A sa‘ of raisins) And now the time has come that if the price of raisins and dates is taken as the basis, then indeed wheat would have to be given by the maund (tens of kilograms). Therefore, regardless of prices, the method of giving one sa‘ of zakat al-fitr from the staple food of each region is the only practical way, which the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) himself prescribed in his time for various staple foods. The items he mentioned were not all of equal value, but he set aside the difference in prices and, by naming the common items, fixed the amount as one sa‘ for each. In other words, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) based zakat al-fitr on quantity, not on the price of staple foods, and set the same amount for all items.

Imam Abu Dawud (rahimahullah) has collected in this chapter the narrations attributed to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) which those who hold the view of half a sa‘ present as evidence, and he has provided their complete chains of transmission, from which it is established that all these narrations are weak. And in the last narration, there is even mention of ‘Ali (radi Allahu anhu) changing the amount of wheat in relation to prices. Imam al-Hakim declared this hadith to be sahih in its chain. (al-Mustadrak, Book of Zakat, Hadith 1464) There are multiple supporting reports for this. For example, Imam al-Hakim narrates from Sahl ibn Abi Hashmah that ‘Umar (radi Allahu anhu) also sent him to estimate the yield of dates and said, “When you reach any land, estimate it, and leave aside as much as they consume.” Imam al-Hakim said that there is consensus on the authenticity of this supporting report. (al-Mustadrak, Book of Zakat, Hadith 1465) Marwan ibn Hakam also sent him. This is a beautiful demonstration of Islam’s mercy and compassion for farmers: after estimation, any reduction in the produce before it is brought home—whether due to people eating from it—should be deducted from the estimate before zakat is given. Nowadays, crops are often destroyed by various natural disasters, or their yield is greatly reduced. Diseases frequently attack crops and orchards. Therefore, the farmer bears heavy expenses to protect his crop from these diseases, often resulting in debt. Sometimes, the destruction of the crop is so extensive that the basic expenses become a debt upon him. Perhaps for this reason, the hadith scholar of the era, Hafiz ‘Abdullah Ropuri (rahimahullah), issued the fatwa that zakat should be given on the remaining wealth after deducting all such expenses. (Fatawa Ahl al-Hadith, Hafiz Muhammad ‘Abdullah Ropuri, vol. 2, Book of Zakat) Among the Companions (radi Allahu anhum), there is no reported difference of opinion that if the owner of wealth has a debt, then zakat will be due on the remaining wealth after deducting the debt. In later times, Rabi‘ah, Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman, and al-Shafi‘i (rahimahullah) in his later opinion, held that the presence or absence of debt is not to be considered; zakat is due on all the existing produce. But even in that era, the majority, such as ‘Ata’, Sulayman ibn Yasar, Maymun ibn Mihran, Hasan al-Nakha‘i, Layth, Thawri, and Ishaq (rahimahullah), gave the fatwa that whether the wealth is apparent or hidden, after deducting the debt, if the remainder reaches the nisab, zakat is due on it. Imam Malik (rahimahullah), al-Awza‘i (rahimahullah), Abu Thawr, and the jurists of Iraq (rahimahullah) hold that in hidden wealth, the debt is deducted and zakat is due on the remainder, but not in apparent wealth. However, in the time of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), the expenses on apparent wealth, especially crops, were related to water, and the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), considering the expense, reduced the amount of ‘ushr (one-tenth) by half. Now, the decision of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) will remain as it is. (Ibn Qudamah, al-Mughni, Book of Zakat, Issue: Debt prevents zakat on hidden wealth with its condition) Among the Rightly Guided Caliphs and the Companions (radi Allahu anhum), there is no evidence of any disagreement on this; rather, there is consensus that zakat is due on the remaining wealth after deducting the value of the debt. (al-Mughni, Book of Zakat, Chapter: Zakat, Debt, and Charity) In this regard, Ibn Qudamah has even quoted from the companions of Malik (rahimahullah) the statement of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam): “If a man has a thousand dirhams and owes a thousand dirhams, then there is no zakat upon him.” They have considered this a clear text, but they have not provided a formal chain of transmission for this hadith. However, Imam al-Bayhaqi (rahimahullah) has narrated with the most authentic chain from ‘Uthman (radi Allahu anhu) that Sa’ib ibn Yazid says: He heard ‘Uthman (radi Allahu anhu) delivering a sermon from the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), saying: “This is your month of zakat. Whoever among you has a debt, let him pay it off so that your wealth becomes pure (free from debt), and then pay zakat from it.” Imam al-Bukhari (rahimahullah) has also narrated this report with the same chain, hearing ‘Uthman (radi Allahu anhu) delivering a sermon from the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), in his Sahih. (Sahih al-Bukhari with Fath al-Bari, Book of Holding Fast to the Sunnah, Chapter: What the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) mentioned and urged regarding the consensus of the scholars; also al-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi, Book of Zakat, Chapter: Debt with Charity) This is the statement of the Rightly Guided Caliph ‘Uthman (radi Allahu anhu), delivered from the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), and not a single Companion disagreed with him. Ibn Qudamah (rahimahullah) rightly considers this to be the consensus of the Companions (radi Allahu anhum). This is conclusive evidence that zakat is obligatory on the pure wealth remaining after deducting every kind of debt, especially since the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has made adherence to his and his Rightly Guided Caliphs’ (radi Allahu anhum) Sunnah obligatory. Later fatwas of jurists and scholars, if they differ from this, are not worthy of consideration, while the majority also hold this view. If any difference is found among the Companions (radi Allahu anhum), it is only that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (radi Allahu anhu) said that if a person takes a loan and spends it on his family and on his crops, then after deducting the entire debt, zakat will be due on the remaining wealth. Whereas ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (radi Allahu anhu) held that before zakat, only that portion of the debt should be deducted which was spent on the crops. (al-Mughni, Debt prevents zakat on wealth) Both agree that the debt spent on the crops will be exempted from zakat. No other Companion is reported to have disagreed in this matter. The Companions (radi Allahu anhum) received the religion directly from the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and were well aware of the general rulings of the Shari‘ah. No other ijtihad can be considered in comparison to their ijtihad, especially such ijtihad that increases the difficulties of Muslim farmers. Some scholars, providing further evidence regarding the exemption of debt, have said that zakat is taken from the wealthy and given to the poor. So, a person who is burdened by debt—if zakat is taken from him merely because he has produce, even if it is less than his debt—this would be tantamount to reversing the purpose of zakat. (A detailed discussion can be seen in al-Mughni by Ibn Qudamah, Book of Zakat, Chapter: Zakat, Debt, and Charity.)