7b] Zakaat al-Fitr

7b]
The author of al-Muhadhdhab said: "Al-Musannif (may Allaah have mercy
on him) said: 'If someone has to pay zakaat al-fitr on his own behalf
and on behalf of those whom he is supporting, if they are Muslim and
if has more than he needs to spend on them that he can give, thenthe
mother and father, and grandparents and great-grandparents, etc., may
have to pay zakaat al-fitr on behalf of their children and
grandchildren and great-grandchildren, etc., and the children may have
to pay zakaat al-fitr on behalf of their parents and grandparents and
great-grandparents, etc., – if they are obliged to spend on their
maintenance.
( Al-Majma' , part 6).
A man has to pay on behalf of himself and his wife – even if she has
money of her own – and his children and parents if they are poor, and
his daughter if she is married but the marriage has not yet been
consummated. If his son is rich, he does not have to givezakaat
al-fitr on his behalf. A husband hasto give zakaat al-fitr on behalf
of a divorced wife whose divorce (talaaq) is notyet final (i.e., she
is still in the 'iddah of a first or second talaaq), but not in
thecase of a rebellious wife or one whose divorce is final. A son does
not have to givezakaat al-fitr on behalf of a poor father's wife
because he is not obliged to spend on her.
[When giving zakaat al-fitr], one should start with the closest people
first, so he gives it on behalf of himself, then his wife, then his
children, then the restof his relatives in order of closeness,
following the patternlaid out in the rules governing inheritance.
Al-Shaafa'i, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: "Who I say is obliged
to give zakaat al-fitr, if a child is born to him, or he takes
possession of a slave,or someone becomes one of his dependents, at any
time during the last day of Ramadaan, then the suns sets on the night
of the crescent of Shawwaal, he has to give zakaat al-fitr on that
person's behalf."
( Al-Umm , Baab Zakaat al-Fitr al-Thaani ).
It is not obligatory to give zakaat al-fitr on behalf of a foetus that
is still in the mother's womb, but if this is done voluntarily, there
is nothing wrong with it.
If someone who is obliged to give zakaat al-fitr dies before giving
it, it must be given from his estate… even if the person who was
supporting him also dies, the obligation still stands.
( Al-Mughni , part 2).
If a servant has set wages that are paid to him daily or monthly, the
employer does not have to give zakaat al-fitr on his behalf, because
he is a hired worker, and one is not obliged to spend on a hired
worker.
( al-Mawsoo'ah , 23/339).
Concerning giving zakaat al-fitr on behalf of an orphan, Imaam Maalik
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "The guardian should give zakaat
al-fitr on behalf of the orphanssome of whose wealth is under his
control, even if they are minors."
( Al-Mudawwanah , part 1).
Amount of zakaat al-fitr
The amount to be given is one saa' of food, according to themeasure of
saa' used by the Prophet (peaceand blessings of Allaah be upon him),
because of the following hadeeth.
- Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "At the
time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) we
used to give it in the form of a saa' of food…"
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 1412).
The weight of the saa' [which is a measure of volume] varies according
to the type of food concerned, so when giving zakaat al-fitr by
weight, one must make sure that what is given is equivalent to a saa'
of that type of food. A saa' is approximately equivalent to three
kilograms of rice.
Types of things that may be given
What should be givenis food for human consumption, such as dates,
wheat, rice or other kinds of food that humans eat. It is reported in
al-Saheehayn from Ibn 'Umar (may Allaahbe pleased with themboth) that
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
made zakaat al-fitr, one saa' of dates or one saa' of barley,
obligatory on the Muslims, slave and free, male and female,. (At that
time,barley was one of thefoods they ate).
(Al-Bukhaari, 1408)
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 beupon
him), we used to give a saa' of food on the day of Fitr." Abu Sa'eed
said: "Andour food was barley, raisins, aqit (dried yoghurt) and
dates."
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 1408).
It should be given in the form of the staplefood that is used locally,
whether it is wheat, rice, dates or lentils…

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