What is the ruling on zakat al-fitr?
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Question:
May Allah reward you. He says: What is the ruling on zakat al-fitr? Does it have a specific time? Is it required to be food? Or is it permissible to pay its value in money?
Answer:
Zakat al-fitr, or sadaqat al-fitr, is obligatory on every Muslim, whether male or female, free or slave. It is obligatory on every Muslim. It is a purification of the body, a purification of the body. It is paid out on the night of the festival. It is paid out on the night of the festival when the crescent of Shawwal is confirmed.
It is permissible to pay it out one or two days before the festival, following the practice of the Salaf. The Salaf used to pay it out one or two days before the festival. However, the best is to pay it out on the night of the festival. If one delays it until going out for the festival prayer, that is better. If one pays it out at the beginning of the night or in the middle of the night, that is its time, and there is no harm.
It is from food. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made it obligatory from food. He measured it by the sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg): a sa' of wheat, or a sa' of barley, or a sa' of dates, or a sa' of raisins, or a sa' of dried dates. He measured it by the sa' and specified food. Therefore, it is not permissible to pay out dirhams in its place.
Because this contradicts what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prescribed. Dirhams existed in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he did not say, "Pay out dirhams." Rather, he commanded the payment of food. Because the poor people, because the poor are in need of food on the day of the festival. They cook, they eat. If you give them dirhams, where will they take them? They will not cook with dirhams. Or they will buy them when the markets are closed and there are no shops to buy from. So give them food so that he can cook it and eat it, he and his children. Yes.
May Allah reward you. He says: What is the ruling on zakat al-fitr? Does it have a specific time? Is it required to be food? Or is it permissible to pay its value in money?
Answer:
Zakat al-fitr, or sadaqat al-fitr, is obligatory on every Muslim, whether male or female, free or slave. It is obligatory on every Muslim. It is a purification of the body, a purification of the body. It is paid out on the night of the festival. It is paid out on the night of the festival when the crescent of Shawwal is confirmed.
It is permissible to pay it out one or two days before the festival, following the practice of the Salaf. The Salaf used to pay it out one or two days before the festival. However, the best is to pay it out on the night of the festival. If one delays it until going out for the festival prayer, that is better. If one pays it out at the beginning of the night or in the middle of the night, that is its time, and there is no harm.
It is from food. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made it obligatory from food. He measured it by the sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg): a sa' of wheat, or a sa' of barley, or a sa' of dates, or a sa' of raisins, or a sa' of dried dates. He measured it by the sa' and specified food. Therefore, it is not permissible to pay out dirhams in its place.
Because this contradicts what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) prescribed. Dirhams existed in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he did not say, "Pay out dirhams." Rather, he commanded the payment of food. Because the poor people, because the poor are in need of food on the day of the festival. They cook, they eat. If you give them dirhams, where will they take them? They will not cook with dirhams. Or they will buy them when the markets are closed and there are no shops to buy from. So give them food so that he can cook it and eat it, he and his children. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما حكم زكاة الفطر؟ للشيخ الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.