Payment of Fitrana

Author: Shaykh Hafiz Abdul Sattar Hamad (Hafizahullah)

Arabic Text:

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَمَرَ بِزَكَاةِ الْفِطْرِ قَبْلَ خُرُوجِ النَّاسِ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ


“Rasulullah ﷺ instructed that Zakat-ul-Fitr should be given before the people go out for the Eid prayer.”
[Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Zakah: 1509]

Key Points:​

Obligation of Zakat-ul-Fitr:
Zakat-ul-Fitr is obligatory for every Muslim, regardless of whether they have observed fasting or not. This obligation is explicitly mentioned in Hadith.
[Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Zakah: 1503]

Prescribed Amount:
The amount of Zakat-ul-Fitr is one Sa' (صاع).
[Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Zakah: 1505]
  • Measurement in Modern Terms:
    In contemporary decimal systems, one Sa' is equivalent to approximately 2.04 kilograms.
Time of Payment:
Zakat-ul-Fitr should be paid before the Eid prayer on the day of Eid.
  • Prophetic Instruction:
    Rasulullah ﷺ stated:
    “Whoever gives Zakat-ul-Fitr before the Eid prayer, it will be accepted as Zakat, but if someone pays it after the Eid prayer, it will be considered a general charity, not Zakat-ul-Fitr.”
    [Sunan Abu Dawood, Kitab al-Zakah: 1609]
Permissibility of Early Payment:
It is permissible to pay Zakat-ul-Fitr one or two days before Eid, as evident from the practice of Abdullah ibn Umar (RA), who would hand over Zakat-ul-Fitr to official collectors a day or two prior to Eid.
[Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Zakah: 1511]

Importance of Timely Payment:
Delaying Zakat-ul-Fitr until after the Eid prayer nullifies its classification as Zakat-ul-Fitr. Instead, it is treated as a general charity, as clarified by Rasulullah ﷺ.

Food Items for Zakat-ul-Fitr:
During the time of the Prophet ﷺ, Zakat-ul-Fitr was given in the form of staple food items, such as barley, dates, raisins, and cheese.
  • Narration of Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (RA):
    He stated:
    “We used to give one Sa' of food as Zakat-ul-Fitr during the time of Rasulullah ﷺ, and our staple foods then were barley, dates, raisins, and cheese.”
    [Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Zakah: 1510]
Applicability to Staple Foods:
Zakat-ul-Fitr can be given in any staple food that is commonly consumed throughout the year.

And Allah knows best.
 
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