❀ Quantity and Items for Sadaqat al-Fitr ❀
By: Imran Ayub Lahori
✿ Authentic Report on the Amount and Types of Food
It is narrated from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (رضي الله عنه):
كُنَّا نُخْرِجُ زَكَاةَ الْفِطْرِ صَاعًا مِنْ طَعَامٍ، أَوْ صَاعًا مِنْ شَعِيرٍ، أَوْ صَاعًا مِنْ تَمْرٍ، أَوْ صَاعًا مِنْ أَقِطٍ، أَوْ صَاعًا مِنْ زَبِيبٍ
“We used to give one Ṣāʿ of wheat, or one Ṣāʿ of barley, or one Ṣāʿ of dates, or one Ṣāʿ of dried curd, or one Ṣāʿ of raisins as Sadaqat al-Fitr.”
In a narration from Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, these additional words are mentioned:
في زمان النبي – “i.e., during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, we used to do so.”
[Bukhārī: 1506, 1507 | Muslim: 985 | Abū Dāwūd: 1616 | Tirmidhī: 668 | Nasāʾī: 5/51 | Ibn Mājah: 1829 | Muwaṭṭaʾ: 1/284 | Ibn Abī Shaybah: 3/172 | Aḥmad: 3/23]
From this, it becomes clear that one Ṣāʿ must be given from each of the mentioned items for Sadaqat al-Fitr.
✿ The View of Muʿāwiyah (رضي الله عنه)
When Muʿāwiyah (رضي الله عنه) returned from Ḥajj or ʿUmrah, he addressed the people from the pulpit and said:
“I believe that two Mudd of wheat (i.e., half a Ṣāʿ) is equal to one Ṣāʿ of dates.”
In response, Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (رضي الله عنه) said:
“I will continue to give Sadaqat al-Fitr in the same manner as I used to give during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (i.e., one full Ṣāʿ).”
[Muslim: 984 | Bayhaqī: 4/165]
Thus, giving half a Ṣāʿ of wheat was the ijtihād (independent reasoning) of Muʿāwiyah (رضي الله عنه). This is why Abū Saʿīd, Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما) and many other Sahabah remained firm upon giving one full Ṣāʿ of every item, including wheat.
Furthermore, the narrations that mention half a Ṣāʿ per person are either not marfūʿ (not directly from the Prophet ﷺ) or weak, as preferred by Imām Bayhaqī and other scholars.
[Bayhaqī in al-Sunan al-Kubrā: 4/170 | Mirʿāt al-Mafātīḥ: 1831]
✿ Disagreement on Wheat and Raisins
The primary disagreement lies in two items:
① Wheat and ② Raisins – whether they require half a Ṣāʿ or a full Ṣāʿ.
According to the Majority (Jumhūr):
(Mālik, Aḥmad, Shāfiʿī رحمهم الله)
A full Ṣāʿ must be given from both these items.
[al-Umm: 2/90 | al-Mughnī: 4/287 | Ḥāshiyat al-Dasūqī ʿalā al-Sharḥ al-Kabīr: 1/506 | al-Kāfī by Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr: p.112]
According to the Ḥanafis:
Only half a Ṣāʿ is to be given from these two.
[al-Mabsūṭ: 3/113 | al-Hidāyah: 1/117 | al-Ikhtiyār: 1/123]
✿ Strongest Opinion (Rājih)
The view of the majority is considered stronger (rājih).
➤ Imām Shawkānī (رحمه الله) also supports this view.
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 3/147]
➤ Imām Ibn Qudāmah (رحمه الله) states:
A full Ṣāʿ is to be given from all food types.
[al-Mughnī: 4/285]
✔ Summary of the Ruling
The conclusion is that from all edible items that are considered nourishment, as the narration says:
صَاعًا مِنْ طَعَامٍ – “A Ṣāʿ of food”
…one full Ṣāʿ of Sadaqat al-Fitr must be given.
◈ Important Note
- One Ṣāʿ equals four Mudd.
- It is also reported as being five Ratl and one-third of a Ratl.
[al-Mughnī: 4/285 | Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn: 2/301]
🧮 In modern weight, one Ṣāʿ is approximately 2.5 kilograms.
