What is obligatory upon one who did not pay zakat al-fitr because he did not know the eligible recipients?
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The questioner : What is obligatory upon one who did not pay zakat al-fitr because he did not know the eligible recipients, until the month of Ramadan ended and he did not pay it?
The Shaykh : Zakat al-fitr does not become obligatory until the month of Ramadan ends, because the time for the obligation of zakat al-fitr is the setting of the sun on the night of 'Id al-Fitr. This is the time of obligation. If that time arrives and there is no eligible recipient around him, there is no harm in keeping it with him until he finds an eligible recipient for it.
The questioner : Even if it is after the 'Id?
The Shaykh : Even if it is after the 'Id, but it is not befitting for a person to neglect this matter. Rather, he should be cautious from the outset. So if he knows that there is no one in his country who is eligible, he should, from the outset, send it to another country that is eligible to receive it, so that he pays it at the time when it is obligatory to pay it. Yes.
The questioner : Yes, this message is from the questioner, Hajj Ibrahim Jassim, from Iraq. He says:
The Shaykh : Zakat al-fitr does not become obligatory until the month of Ramadan ends, because the time for the obligation of zakat al-fitr is the setting of the sun on the night of 'Id al-Fitr. This is the time of obligation. If that time arrives and there is no eligible recipient around him, there is no harm in keeping it with him until he finds an eligible recipient for it.
The questioner : Even if it is after the 'Id?
The Shaykh : Even if it is after the 'Id, but it is not befitting for a person to neglect this matter. Rather, he should be cautious from the outset. So if he knows that there is no one in his country who is eligible, he should, from the outset, send it to another country that is eligible to receive it, so that he pays it at the time when it is obligatory to pay it. Yes.
The questioner : Yes, this message is from the questioner, Hajj Ibrahim Jassim, from Iraq. He says: