Zakat al-Fitr: Its Amount, Its Time, and What It Is Paid From
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Regarding Zakat al-Fitr, its first time is in the last ten days.
Zakat al-Fitr is a sa' of food to be given to the poor. A sa' of food, what kind of food? Barley, rice, dates, or whatever food it is... If the fasting person gives food, they say: This is Zakat al-Fitr. It is to be given one or two days before the festival, and the best time to pay it is on the day of the festival before the prayer. However, sometimes a person is busy if he pays it at this time, so he is granted a dispensation to pay it one or two days earlier.
What is your opinion if the people in a country have fish as their staple food? Is it permissible to pay Zakat al-Fitr with fish? There are people on the distant coasts in the north or the south whose staple food is fish?
It is valid, based on the statement of Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) in what al-Bukhari narrated:Sahih Muslim 985e, and what Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Sunan Ibn Majah 1827Hasan (Darussalam).
Now, what is your opinion if a person pays with dirhams or clothes or bedding instead of food? Is it sufficient or not?
The stronger position is that it is not sufficient, based on the statement of Ibn 'Umar:Sahih Muslim 984b. He said: So whoever pays with something other than food has done a deed for which there is no command from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 1718b meaning it is rejected.
If someone says: If we are in our era here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, dirhams are more beloved to the poor person than food and more beneficial, because food is only useful for eating, while dirhams are useful for eating, clothing, and drinking. Also, perhaps we give him dirhams for Zakat al-Fitr and he marries with them. The value of the mahr might be one hundred riyals, and he marries with one hundred riyals. This is a great benefit. So why don't we say that dirhams are sufficient in place of food, because it is better and more beneficial for the poor person and less of a burden, even for the one paying, who does not have to go to the trouble of buying food... simple dirhams. If he has a simple family consisting of... he puts one hundred riyals with him, and any poor person he meets in the market, he gives it to him. This is easier, and the easier it is, the more appropriate it is for the religion, because this religion is ease. And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says in the Qur'an:[Al-Baqarah 2:185], so dirhams are better than food in these respects:
First: It is more beneficial for the poor person, due to the generality of its utility, unlike food.
Second: It is easier for the one paying.
The answer? The answer to this is that we say: There is no istihsan (juristic preference) in opposition to the text. Pay attention to this. There is no istihsan in opposition to the text. So if the text comes regarding something, then the best of all good is what the text says. And I say to the one who says: This is better, that that is... because what the Shari'ah has brought is the best, even if it appears to contradict what seems to be the best.
Then perhaps it is the best at one time, and at another time the best is food. Sometimes food is better for people than dirhams and dinars. So we do not deviate from what the Shari'ah has brought merely because of an istihsan (juristic preference) we see from our minds.
Zakat al-Fitr is a sa' of food to be given to the poor. A sa' of food, what kind of food? Barley, rice, dates, or whatever food it is... If the fasting person gives food, they say: This is Zakat al-Fitr. It is to be given one or two days before the festival, and the best time to pay it is on the day of the festival before the prayer. However, sometimes a person is busy if he pays it at this time, so he is granted a dispensation to pay it one or two days earlier.
What is your opinion if the people in a country have fish as their staple food? Is it permissible to pay Zakat al-Fitr with fish? There are people on the distant coasts in the north or the south whose staple food is fish?
It is valid, based on the statement of Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) in what al-Bukhari narrated:
I would take out (Sadaqat-ul-Fitr) but that which I used to bring forth during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
كنا نخرجها في عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم صاعا من طعامThe Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) enjoined Zakatul-Fitr as a purification for the fasting person from idle talk and obscenities, and to feed the poor.
فرض رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم زكاة الفطر طهرة للصائم من اللغو والرفث وطعمة للمساكينNow, what is your opinion if a person pays with dirhams or clothes or bedding instead of food? Is it sufficient or not?
The stronger position is that it is not sufficient, based on the statement of Ibn 'Umar:
the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prescribed Zakat-ul-Fitr one sa' of dates or one sa' of barley
فرض رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم زكاة الفطر صاعا من تمر أو صاعا من شعيرHe made it obligatory as a sa' of dates
فرضها صاعا من تمرHe who did any act for which there is no sanction from our behalf, that is to be rejected.
من عمل عملا ليس عليه أمرنا فهو ردIf someone says: If we are in our era here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, dirhams are more beloved to the poor person than food and more beneficial, because food is only useful for eating, while dirhams are useful for eating, clothing, and drinking. Also, perhaps we give him dirhams for Zakat al-Fitr and he marries with them. The value of the mahr might be one hundred riyals, and he marries with one hundred riyals. This is a great benefit. So why don't we say that dirhams are sufficient in place of food, because it is better and more beneficial for the poor person and less of a burden, even for the one paying, who does not have to go to the trouble of buying food... simple dirhams. If he has a simple family consisting of... he puts one hundred riyals with him, and any poor person he meets in the market, he gives it to him. This is easier, and the easier it is, the more appropriate it is for the religion, because this religion is ease. And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says in the Qur'an:
Allah intends for you ease
يريد الله بكم اليسرFirst: It is more beneficial for the poor person, due to the generality of its utility, unlike food.
Second: It is easier for the one paying.
The answer? The answer to this is that we say: There is no istihsan (juristic preference) in opposition to the text. Pay attention to this. There is no istihsan in opposition to the text. So if the text comes regarding something, then the best of all good is what the text says. And I say to the one who says: This is better, that that is... because what the Shari'ah has brought is the best, even if it appears to contradict what seems to be the best.
Then perhaps it is the best at one time, and at another time the best is food. Sometimes food is better for people than dirhams and dinars. So we do not deviate from what the Shari'ah has brought merely because of an istihsan (juristic preference) we see from our minds.