❖ Condition for Sadaqat al-Fitr: Availability of Surplus Food ❖
✦ Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori
Who is obligated to give Sadaqat al-Fitr?
The obligation applies only to the one who possesses more food than needed for himself and his dependents for the day and night of Eid.
Whoever does not possess this surplus, is not obligated to give Sadaqat al-Fitr.
This is because such a person is considered among the poor and needy themselves, and is eligible to receive Sadaqat al-Fitr rather than being required to give it.
➤ Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān affirms this view.
[Al-Rawḍah al-Nadiyyah: 1/519–520]
➤ Ibn Qudāmah also gives preference to this opinion.
[Al-Mughnī: 4/307]
There is a narration often presented in support of this view, which includes the wording:
اغنوهم عن الطواف فى هذا اليوم
“Make the poor free from the need to wander from door to door on this day.”
However, this narration is weak (ḍa‘īf) and thus cannot be used as a firm proof.
[Ḍa‘īf: Irwā’ al-Ghalīl: 744, Al-Taʿlīqāt al-Raḍiyyah ʿala al-Rawḍah al-Nadiyyah: 1/553, Al-Taʿlīq ʿala Subul al-Salām by Shaykh Ṣubḥī Ḥallāq: 4/63, Bayhaqī: 4/175, Dāraquṭnī: 2/152]
✔ Conclusion:
A person who lacks surplus food beyond their essential needs is not required to give Sadaqat al-Fitr. Instead, they are entitled to receive it.
This is a condition supported by authentic scholarly consensus, and not based on the weak narration often quoted in this matter.
✦ Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori
✿ Obligation of Sadaqat al-Fitr Depends on Surplus Provision
Who is obligated to give Sadaqat al-Fitr?
The obligation applies only to the one who possesses more food than needed for himself and his dependents for the day and night of Eid.
Whoever does not possess this surplus, is not obligated to give Sadaqat al-Fitr.
This is because such a person is considered among the poor and needy themselves, and is eligible to receive Sadaqat al-Fitr rather than being required to give it.
✔ Scholarly Opinions Supporting This Condition:
➤ Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān affirms this view.
[Al-Rawḍah al-Nadiyyah: 1/519–520]
➤ Ibn Qudāmah also gives preference to this opinion.
[Al-Mughnī: 4/307]
✿ Weakness of a Commonly Cited Supporting Narration
There is a narration often presented in support of this view, which includes the wording:
اغنوهم عن الطواف فى هذا اليوم
“Make the poor free from the need to wander from door to door on this day.”
However, this narration is weak (ḍa‘īf) and thus cannot be used as a firm proof.
[Ḍa‘īf: Irwā’ al-Ghalīl: 744, Al-Taʿlīqāt al-Raḍiyyah ʿala al-Rawḍah al-Nadiyyah: 1/553, Al-Taʿlīq ʿala Subul al-Salām by Shaykh Ṣubḥī Ḥallāq: 4/63, Bayhaqī: 4/175, Dāraquṭnī: 2/152]
✔ Conclusion:
A person who lacks surplus food beyond their essential needs is not required to give Sadaqat al-Fitr. Instead, they are entitled to receive it.
This is a condition supported by authentic scholarly consensus, and not based on the weak narration often quoted in this matter.
