Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Zakat-ul-Fitr

  • It is a compulsory form of Zakat that is legislated because of the breaking of the fast after Ramadan.
  • It is compulsory upon every Muslim, for himself and for each person that it is obligatory for him to spend upon.
  • One Sa' is equal to four Mudds. One Mudd is what can be placed in two average-sized hands. A Sa', then, is equal to approximately 3 kilograms.
  • If one can only find a portion of a Sa', then he should give it - and fear Allah as much as you are able to.
  • It is recommended to give this Zakat on behalf of a child in his mother's womb; however, doing so is not obligatory.
  • It is best to give that kind of food that is most beneficial to the poor.
  • One must give this Zakat before the 'Eid prayer, and it is permissible to give it a day or two in advance. It is forbidden, though, to delay it until after the 'Eid prayer without a legitimate Islamic excuse. If one delays giving it until after the prayer without an excuse, then it is not accepted from him; instead, it is considered to be a regular kind of charity. But if one delays it with an excuse, then there is no harm, such as one who is in a secluded area when 'Eid arrives: he neither finds the necessary food for Zakat-ul-Fitr nor someone who would accept it from him.
  • You give Zakat-ul-Fitr in the area where you live.
  • It is not permissible to give the money value of the food, because doing so goes against the Sunnah.
  • It becomes compulsory to give Zakat-ul-Fitr when the sun sets on the night before 'Eid. Therefore if one accepts Islam after that time, one doesn't have to give Zakat-ul-Fitr. If one marries after the sun sets on that night or has a child, one doesn't have to give it on behalf of his wife, and in the second situation, on behalf of his child. But if any of the above occurs for someone before the sun sets on the night before 'Eid, then he must give it on their behalf as well.
  • It is permissible for a group of people to give their Zakat-ul-Fitr to a single person, just as it is permissible for a single person to give his Zakat-ul-Fitr to a group of people.
  • The people who may receive Zakat-ul-Fitr are the same eight categories that may receive the normal Zakat; those who take precedence, however, are the poor, the needy, and those in debt.
  • It is obligatory that the Zakat should reach the one who deserves it or his representative on time.

    [Credit goes to 'What Must Be Known About Islam' (which published this article from Khulasatul-Kalam by Shaikh Al-Jarullah) in its comprehensive book, compiled by Muhammad bin 'Ali Al-Arfaj, translated by Darussalam, global leaders in Islamic books.]

No comments: