Can Ṣadaqat al-Fiṭr Be Paid After ʿĪd al-Fiṭr?

Source: Fatāwā Āmanpūrī – Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Āmanpūrī

❖ Question​

Is it permissible to pay Ṣadaqat al-Fiṭr after the day of ʿĪd al-Fiṭr?

✿ Answer​

• Ṣadaqat al-Fiṭr must be paid before going out for the ʿĪd prayer.
• If it is delayed and given after the prayer, then it will not count as Ṣadaqat al-Fiṭr, rather it will be considered an ordinary charity (ṣadaqah).

Evidence from Ḥadīth​

Narrated by ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما:


فَرَضَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ زَكَاةَ الْفِطْرِ طُهْرَةً لِلصَّائِمِ مِنَ اللَّغْوِ وَالرَّفَثِ وَطُعْمَةً لِلْمَسَاكِينِ، فَمَنْ أَدَّاهَا قَبْلَ الصَّلَاةِ فَهِيَ زَكَاةٌ مَقْبُولَةٌ، وَمَنْ أَدَّاهَا بَعْدَ الصَّلَاةِ فَهِيَ صَدَقَةٌ مِنَ الصَّدَقَاتِ
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 1609; Sunan Ibn Mājah: 1828 – ḥasan chain)


Translation:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prescribed Zakāt al-Fiṭr as a purification for the fasting person from idle talk and obscenities, and as food for the poor. Whoever gives it before the prayer, it is accepted as Zakāt. Whoever gives it after the prayer, it is just one of the ordinary charities.”


Imām al-Ḥākim declared this ḥadīth ṣaḥīḥ, and al-Dhahabī agreed.

Conclusion​

• Ṣadaqat al-Fiṭr must be discharged before the ʿĪd prayer.
• Paying it after the prayer does not fulfill the obligation; it is counted only as voluntary charity.

ھذا ما عندي واللہ أعلم بالصواب