Major Misconceptions of How, What and When to Pay Zakat al-Fitr

Understanding our rights and responsibilities for zakat al-fitr is important for all practicing Muslims. However, there are many misconceptions as to how, what and when we should pay its due. Therefore, we listed below multiple fatwaa based on authentic ahadith. The misconceptions are listed in no particular order.

1. FALSE: Zakat al-fitr is a monetary sadaqah that can be given to other causes besides feeding the poor and needy.

TRUE: Zakat al-fitr must be paid to feed poor and needy, as shared in the following fatwaa,

Zakaat al-fitr should be given to the poor Muslims in the land or city where it is given, because of the report narrated by Abu Dawood from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined zakaat al-fitr, to be paid in Ramadaan to feed the poor…” It is permissible to send it to the poor of another land whose people are in greater need. It is not permissible to spend it on building a mosque or other charitable projects.

2. FALSE: Zakat al-fitr can be made monetarily with money.

TRUE: The Sunah of zakat al-fitr to to pay with staple foods of your local community as shared in the following fatwaa,

It is not permissible to pay the value in money, according to the majority of scholars, and the evidence for this view is more sound. Rather it should be given in the form of food, as was done by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) and the majority of the ummah. We ask Allaah to help us and all the Muslims to understand His religion and adhere steadfastly to it. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

It was narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined zakaat al-fitr upon the Muslims at a rate of one saa’ of dates or one saa’ of barley, and he commanded that it should be given before the people went out to pray – i.e., the Eid prayers. In al-Saheehayn it is narrated that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (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 it at a rate of one saa’ of food, or one saa’ of dates, or one saa’ of barley, or one saa’ of cheese, or one saa’ of raisins…” A number of scholars interpreted the word ta’aam (food) in this hadeeth as referring to wheat, and others explained it as referring to the staple food of the local people, no matter what it is, whether it is wheat, corn or something else. This is the correct view, because the zakaah is a kind of help given by the rich to the poor, and the Muslim should not offer help with anything other than the staple food of his country. What must be given is a saa’ of all kinds of food, which is four times the amount scooped up with two hands, which is approximately three kilograms. If the Muslim gives a saa’ of rice or some other staple food of his country, that is fine.

3. FALSE: Zakat al-Fitr can be given during any of the Eid days.

TRUE: Zakat al-fitr must be paid before Eid prayer.

As stated in this fatwaa,

Zakaat al-fitr must be paid before the Eid prayer, because of the report narrated by Abu Dawood (1609) and Ibn Majaah (1827) from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined zakaat al-fitr as a purification for the fasting person from idle and obscene talk, and to feed the poor. Whoever pays it before the (Eid) prayer, it is accepted zakaah, and whoever pays it after the prayer, it is (ordinary) charity.

Additionally, it is detailed that is begins the night of Ramadan 28th,

It first becomes due on the night of the twenty-eighth of Ramadaan, because the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to give it one or two days before Eid, and the month lasts twenty-nine or thirty days.

The latest it may be given is at the Eid prayer, but it is not permissible to delay it until after the prayer, because of the report narrated by Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever gives it before the prayer, it is accepted zakaah, and whoever gives it after the prayer, it is a kind of charity.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood).

4. FALSE: It is permissible to give zakat al-fitr to a poor person in the street stating they are poor.

TRUE: It is best to find truly poor, needy, practicing Mu’mininyn to give zakat al-fitr too, detailed in this fatwaa.

Zakaat al-fitr should be given to poor Muslims even if they are sinners so long as their sin is not something that puts them beyond the pale of Islam. What is meant by poor is those who appear to be poor, even if they are in fact rich. The one who is paying the zakaah should seek out good poor people as much as possible. If he finds out later that the one who took it was actually rich, that does not affect the one who gave it, rather he has discharged his duty, praise be to Allaah.

5. FALSE: It is permissible to give zakat al-fitr to kufaar.

TRUE: Three fatwaas details that

It is not permissible to give zakaah on wealth or zakaat al-fitr to kaafirs, and it is not permissible to give zakaah to any kaafir except the one who is inclined towards Islam, in the sense that you hope that he will become Muslim if you give him zakaah.

Additional noteworthy fatwaa, includes, the responsibility of those delaying paying the obligatory zakaat even if its the Imam of a particular community,  one must pay zakaat al-fitr even if he has debt, and the ruling of distributing monthly zakaat to the poor in fear of their mishandling the money is permissible but the giver must pay the zakaat al-fitr in full for the year at its prescribed time.

Staples acceptable in America are any canned or non-perishable food typically acceptable in a food pantries, such as rice, dried pastas, flour, canned vegetables, dried fruit, etc. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension compiled this nice list based on the food pyramid.

Our glorious Qur’an states,

And of them are some who made a covenant with Allah (saying): “If He bestowed on us of His Bounty, we will verily give sadaqah (Zakat and voluntary charity in Allah’s Cause) and will be certainly among those who are righteous.” (Surah at-Taubah, Chapter #9, Verse #75)

A beautiful family, homeschooling activity and lesson is to deliver your zakat al-fitr to local needy families through a trusted source, making your charitable acts private and unknown to the receiver. There are many blessings in sharing this family obligation beyond the father (in most cases) who pays, and the mother (in most cases) who shops. By involving our children; they too gain the pleasure of Allah (May He be Glorified) one or two days before they begin the celebrations of Eid al-Fitr. In many cases, unless the needy families receive the staple foods, they may not even be able to celebrate themselves.

Our children are involved in this activity by making Eid cards and goodie bags to send along with the food, and help select the foods purchased. It’s more personal when we can find the number, gender, ages and even the names of children of these needy families.

This is one activity that we assure our children partake in, even before they think or consider celebrating or decorating for Eid al-Fitr. Actually, I do not even allow our girls to decorate for the Eid, because my husband and I maintain our focus on seeking the rewards of Ramadan’s important acts of worship. I decorate the night Eid is confirmed for the following day. Fortunately, this dedication to the important month, rather than a few fun days  forces the girls to go to bed early (in attempt to get them away from staying up all night for taraweeh and itikaf) as they anticipate my surprising interior designs that I have yet to duplicate.

Our goals should be to celebrate in the opportunity to gain multiple blessings and the rewards during the month of Ramadan–not to celebrate the Eid. Unfortunately, this is a major misconception during this time of year too.

We’ve always pleaded that Islamic schools and institutions should not focus on taking 3 days off for Eid, but to add the last 10 days of Ramadan, or if only one week is allowed then from Ramadan 28th to the end of Eid.

We should not be teaching our children to anticipate the 3-day holiday of Eid al-fitr and consider celebrating unless they too work hard to gain the rewards of Ramadan and actions given during this time, such as zakat al-Fitr. By adhering to the Sunnah, our celebrations can be much sweeter [pun intended ].

By working towards decorating, gift-giving, feasts, festivities, etc. of Eid al-fitr, we’re simply mimicking the actions of other religions and their religious holidays by putting the holidays as the highlight to our lives rather than emphasizing the blessings Allah (May He be Glorified) afforded us during the entire month of our blessed Ramadan.

We’d love to hear how you and your family assure that you are adhering to the Sunnah of the blessed obligation of zakat al-fitr and focusing on the last 10 days of Ramadan rather than the first three days of Shawwal.

Tags: eid al-fitr, how to pay zakat, misconceptions zakata al-fitr, ramadan 28, ramadan 29, ramadan 30, when to pay zakat, who to pay zakat, zakaat al-fitr, zakat al-fitr

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