Break The Cross
8th October 2006, 09:21 PM
Zakaat al-Fitr is food, not money, and it is to be given to needy Muslims only
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made giving a saa’ of dates or a saa’ of barley as Zakaat al-Fitr an obligation for all Muslims, slave and free, male and female, young and old, and ordered that it should be given before the people went out to pray (Salaat al-Eid).” (Al-Bukhaari, 1503).
Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “We used to pay as Zakaat al-Fitr a saa’ of food or a saa’ of barley (which was their food at that time) or a saa’ or dates or a saa’ of aqit (dried yoghurt) or a saa’ of raisins.” (1506)
From this it is clear that Zakaat al-Fitr must be food, not money, so we must adhere to what has been recorded in the Sunnah. So give one saa’ of whatever is the staple food in your country, such as rice or wheat, for example, on behalf of yourself and each member of your household. (A saa’ is equivalent to approximately 3 kilograms). It is not permissible to give it to anyone except a needy Muslim. If you cannot find anyone in your own country, you can delegate someone else to give it on your behalf in another country. May Allaah help us and you to do the duties that He loves. And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
Praise be to Allaah. The majority of scholars (including Maalik, al-Shaafa’i and Ahmad) are of the view that it is not permissible to give zakaat al-fitr in the form of cash, rather it must be given in the form of food, as was enjoined by the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Al-Bukhaari (1504) and Muslim (984) narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined zakaat al-fitr, one saa’ of dates or a saa’ of barley, for everyone, free or slave, male or female, of the Muslims.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: Many of the poor nowadays say that they prefer to receive zakaat al-fitr in the form of cash instead of food, because it is more useful to them. Is it permissible to give zakaat al-fitr in the form of cash?
He replied:
What we think is that it is not permissible to give zakaat al-fitr in the form of cash under any circumstances, rather it must be given in the form of food. If the poor man wants to sell the food and make use of its price, he may do so, but the one who is giving this zakaah has to give it in the form of food. It does not matter if it is the kinds of food that were known at the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or is a kind of food that is known nowadays. Rice nowadays may be more beneficial than wheat, because with rice one does not need to go to the effort of grinding it and making dough, and so on. The purpose is to benefit the poor. It was narrated in Saheeh al-Bukhaari that Abu Sa’eed (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: At the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) we used to give (as zakaat al-fitr) a saa’ of foodstuff, and our food at that time was dates, barley, raisins and dried yogurt. So if a person gives it in the form of food, he should choose a food that will most beneficial to the poor; this will vary from one time and place to another.
With regard to giving it in the form of cash, clothing, furnishings or tools, this is not sufficient and does not discharge the obligation, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does an action that is not part of this matter of ours will have it rejected.”
End quote. Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 18/question no. 191.
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made giving a saa’ of dates or a saa’ of barley as Zakaat al-Fitr an obligation for all Muslims, slave and free, male and female, young and old, and ordered that it should be given before the people went out to pray (Salaat al-Eid).” (Al-Bukhaari, 1503).
Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “We used to pay as Zakaat al-Fitr a saa’ of food or a saa’ of barley (which was their food at that time) or a saa’ or dates or a saa’ of aqit (dried yoghurt) or a saa’ of raisins.” (1506)
From this it is clear that Zakaat al-Fitr must be food, not money, so we must adhere to what has been recorded in the Sunnah. So give one saa’ of whatever is the staple food in your country, such as rice or wheat, for example, on behalf of yourself and each member of your household. (A saa’ is equivalent to approximately 3 kilograms). It is not permissible to give it to anyone except a needy Muslim. If you cannot find anyone in your own country, you can delegate someone else to give it on your behalf in another country. May Allaah help us and you to do the duties that He loves. And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
Praise be to Allaah. The majority of scholars (including Maalik, al-Shaafa’i and Ahmad) are of the view that it is not permissible to give zakaat al-fitr in the form of cash, rather it must be given in the form of food, as was enjoined by the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Al-Bukhaari (1504) and Muslim (984) narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined zakaat al-fitr, one saa’ of dates or a saa’ of barley, for everyone, free or slave, male or female, of the Muslims.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: Many of the poor nowadays say that they prefer to receive zakaat al-fitr in the form of cash instead of food, because it is more useful to them. Is it permissible to give zakaat al-fitr in the form of cash?
He replied:
What we think is that it is not permissible to give zakaat al-fitr in the form of cash under any circumstances, rather it must be given in the form of food. If the poor man wants to sell the food and make use of its price, he may do so, but the one who is giving this zakaah has to give it in the form of food. It does not matter if it is the kinds of food that were known at the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or is a kind of food that is known nowadays. Rice nowadays may be more beneficial than wheat, because with rice one does not need to go to the effort of grinding it and making dough, and so on. The purpose is to benefit the poor. It was narrated in Saheeh al-Bukhaari that Abu Sa’eed (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: At the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) we used to give (as zakaat al-fitr) a saa’ of foodstuff, and our food at that time was dates, barley, raisins and dried yogurt. So if a person gives it in the form of food, he should choose a food that will most beneficial to the poor; this will vary from one time and place to another.
With regard to giving it in the form of cash, clothing, furnishings or tools, this is not sufficient and does not discharge the obligation, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does an action that is not part of this matter of ours will have it rejected.”
End quote. Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 18/question no. 191.