This tape is a duplicate of the one that follows!!!
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The questioner : This is a message we received from a listener. He says, "The Seeker of Truth from the Iraqi Republic, the city of Kirkuk." He says in his message: There are two types of life: the happy life, and I do not mean happiness in terms of wealth and status, but rather that happiness which comes from the soul, meaning that a person is at ease psychologically.
Second, the life of humiliation, and by this I mean psychological humiliation, meaning that a person is humiliated psychologically. The question is: Why is a person created humiliated in the Ummah of Islam, where Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Anbya 21:107] and mentioned several verses, including His saying: [Ali 'Imran 3:182] and several other verses. He asks: Can we consider that those whom Allah created as psychologically humiliated were not included in this vast mercy, and that their hearts and souls still live in darkness and have not seen the light, and consider this to be injustice from Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, toward them?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. As for what follows, this question asked by the brother relates to a great matter, which is the matter of divine decree and destiny. People are divided into two groups regarding it: some are granted success in standing firm, and some are granted success in going astray. This is the point of difficulty for many people: how can this one be misguided and that one be guided? But we point out an important point in this matter: whoever is misguided, the cause of his misguidance is himself, as Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said:[As-Saf 61:5] and as He, the Exalted, said: [Al-Layl 92:5-9] and as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said when he informed his Companions that every person’s place in Paradise or the Fire has been written for them. They said, "Shall we not then rely on the work, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "Work, for every person is facilitated for what he is destined for." Then he recited this verse: So we say that these people whom the questioner described as humiliated were humiliated by sin, and guidance was not written for them because they were the ones who brought about their own misguidance, as their intention was not sincere in seeking the truth and reaching it, and in acting upon it after it became clear and explained. Had they been good in intention and sincere in resolve, they would have been granted success in the truth, for the truth is clear and facilitated: So what I advise this brother and those of his kind for whom this matter is difficult is to first return to themselves, improve their intention, and correct their resolve, so that the intention is sound and the resolve is sincere in seeking the truth. At that time, I guarantee that they will be granted success in it, for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is the One who promised that: And consider that the verse came with the letter "sin," which indicates the nearness of what it governs and also the realization of what it governs, for the "sin," as is known, indicates these two meanings: the nearness of what it governs and its realization. But the affliction is from our own selves. And also consider the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He: [Al-Ma'idah 5:13] For this forgetfulness, which is the heart’s distraction from the known, and also the forgetfulness which means abandonment, they are stripped of their knowledge and are not granted success in righteous action because of their breaking of the covenant.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : But you mentioned that these people were humiliated by sin.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And you also mentioned the last verse, which I believe was revealed regarding the Children of Israel, about whom Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Ma'idah 5:13] Do we now find that those who claim affiliation with the Muslim Ummah are more humiliated than others, those who openly professed disbelief and adopted this path?
The Shaykh : Yes, this is correct, and that is because the right of Allah upon them to stand firm is more emphatic than the right upon those others.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And it is known that one who defiles himself with filth, and who is among the people of authority, is more severe than one who defiles himself with it and is not among the people of authority.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So the stronger the right of Allah upon the servant, and the right of Allah upon the Muslims is greater than His right upon those disbelievers, for this reason they are bound by the laws of Islam. So if he rebels, it is more severe and greater. And for this reason, when the blessing is complete upon the servant, his disobedience becomes more severe and greater.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And among this is what was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the three whom Allah will not speak to on the Day of Resurrection, nor look at them, nor purify them, and for them is a painful punishment. Among them is the one who is addicted to fornication, for he has no excuse for fornication, and he is more deserving of taking a lesson and staying away from it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Therefore, his sin is great. These are the humiliated among the Muslims, because what is obligatory upon them from the right of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and standing firm, is more than what is obligatory upon those others.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Therefore, their disobedience is greater than the disobedience of those others, and humiliation is closer to them. Some scholars illustrated a similar matter with the court of the king and those distant from him, saying that the disobedience of the king’s court to the king is more severe and greater in impact than the disobedience of those distant from him.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So likewise, the disobedience of the Muslims is greater than that of others.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Therefore, their punishment is more severe than that of others.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : The questioner asks: Does Allah accept worship and repentance from the humiliated, and how does Allah look at them in this world and the Hereafter?
The Shaykh : Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, accepts repentance from every repentant person for every sin.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If the repentance is sincere and its five conditions are met: the first is sincerity to Allah the Exalted, such that the one who drives him to repentance is sincerity to Allah alone, not seeking worldly gain or wealth. The second is regret for the sin that occurred, for regret is a sign of the sincerity of repentance. The third is abandoning the sin immediately, and among this is performing the rights of those to whom rights are owed, if the rights belong to human beings. The fourth condition is that he resolves not to return to it in the future. The fifth condition is that the repentance is in its time, and that is before the sun rises from the west, in general.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And before the person’s death approaches, in particular.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : For this reason, Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nisa 4:18]
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If these conditions are met in the repentance, then Allah the Exalted accepts it, no matter how great the sin, as He, the Exalted, said:[Az-Zumar 39:53]
The questioner : Yes.
The questioner : In fact, the question of the brother from the Iraqi Republic, from the city of Kirkuk, is one that many, or the Muslims today, suffer from. Can we say that the humiliated Muslim is required to repent from his humiliation, and is humiliation also considered a sin?
The Shaykh : Humiliation is an effect of the effects of sins, a punishment.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It is not the sin itself, but the sins are the actions of the servant.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And humiliation is from the divine decree and destiny of Allah upon him because of his sins.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And they can repent from the sins, and honor will return to them, for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says:[Al-Munafiqun 63:8]
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And faith is a description above the absolute description of Islam:[Al-Hujurat 49:14]
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So this verse, which was regarding the Bedouins in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), applies today to many of the Muslims, in their cities and their rural areas.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : They say, "We believe," but in reality we say to them: Say, "We have submitted," for faith has not entered your hearts. And that is because of the many sins and violations that diminish their faith. So we say that honor can return to the Muslims today if they are believers and return to their religion truly, for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is the most just of judges and the most fair of the fair.
The questioner : Glorified is He...
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : This is a message we received from the brother Salah Sari Abu al-Khair from the Arab Republic of Egypt, from Dakahlia. He says in his message: What is the ruling on one who reads the Gospel, and is it lawful or forbidden, knowing that he recites the Qur'an?
The Shaykh : Reciting anything other than the Noble Qur'an from the previous books is divided into two categories.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : One is that the reciter is a scholar of the Shari'ah and recites it to establish the argument against its adherents regarding the truth of what Islam brought. So the recitation here is a means to a praiseworthy matter, and it becomes praiseworthy. The second category is that the recitation is by a layperson who does not know, and he intends to be guided by these books. So this is forbidden for him, meaning this recitation is forbidden for him, because it is not permissible to seek guidance from the previous books when he has this Noble Qur'an, which confirmed what was before it of the books and is a guardian over them. And it is not permissible to seek guidance by other than what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) brought. This is the summary of the answer in the matter of reading the books of non-Muslims.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : His other question says: I have considered marrying my cousin, who works with the teachings of our pure Islamic religion. And I actually spoke to her older brother about this matter, but my family does not approve of this marriage because of old differences and problems. So should I leave my family and marry her, or should I leave her? What is the ruling of the religion in that? Is it forbidden for me or lawful if I marry her?
The Shaykh : Your marriage to her is lawful and there is no harm in it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is because there is no legal impediment, but you should try to reconcile yourself with your family as much as possible. If reconciliation is not possible, I see that there are many other women, and that you should marry a woman who suits your family and in whom there is much good. However, if you do not find anyone to your liking other than this woman, there is no blame on you for marrying her, and then you should try to please your family afterward.
The questioner : Yes.
The questioner : This is from the Iraqi Republic. The listener, Shaker Mahmoud al-Obaydi, from al-Azamiyyah in Baghdad, says: I want to know what is the nisab (minimum threshold for zakah) upon which zakah becomes obligatory, which is the amount that a lunar year passes over, and what is the amount of zakah obligatory upon me in Saudi riyals or Iraqi or Kuwaiti dinars? He says in it that he knows the rate of zakah if he knew one of them. May Allah guide you.
The Shaykh : In Saudi riyals, the amount of the nisab is fifty-six riyals of silver.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Or the equivalent thereof in paper currency. As for the Iraqi or Kuwaiti dinar, I know nothing about it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But the questioner says: I can know its amount from them if I know its amount in Saudi riyals.
The questioner : But as for the rate, does he not pay, for example, a quarter of a tenth in any...
The Shaykh : No, he is asking about the amount of the nisab, not the amount of the obligatory. As for the amount of the obligatory, it is a quarter of a tenth in all cases.
The questioner : In any wealth?
The Shaykh : In any wealth.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, in any currency.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Or in any goods for trade.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But he is asking about the amount of the nisab.
The questioner : His second question, and although it was about gold at the time, the message reached us late. He asks about the amount of zakat al-fitr, and the most suitable time to distribute it to the poor. And is the head of the family obligated to pay the share of any of his sons who live with him in the house if the son is an adult, married, and works for himself and his family? Or is the head of the family only obligated to pay the share of those he supports, such as women and minor children? And I offer you my abundant thanks.
The Shaykh : We say that the amount of zakat al-fitr is a sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg) of food, by the Prophetic sa'.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Which weighs two kilograms and forty grams, meaning approximately two and a quarter kilograms of rice or other food of the people.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is the amount of zakat al-fitr, and it is not permissible to pay it with anything other than food, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made it obligatory as a sa' of dates or barley, and that was their food at the time.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As Abu Sa'id said, our food at that time was barley, dates, raisins, and dried cheese, and wheat was not common or abundant in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, no text came from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding it. When it became abundant in the time of Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), he made half a sa' of it equal to a sa'. But Abu Sa'id differed from him in that and said, "As for me, I will not stop paying it, i.e., the sa', as I used to pay it in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)." And the correct view is with Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him).
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : That it is a sa' of whatever food it is. As for the suitable time to pay it, it is the morning of the festival, before the prayer.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because that is the time of benefiting from it, due to the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), as is reported from him:.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But despite that, it is permissible to pay it one or two days before the festival, and it is not permissible to pay it before that, contrary to those among the scholars who said that it is permissible to pay it after the entry of the month of Ramadan. Because zakah is called zakat al-fitr from Ramadan, so it is attributed to the breaking of the fast, not to the fasting. And if it were not that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) made it easy for His servants, we would have said that it is not permissible to pay it except after the setting of the sun on the last day of Ramadan.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But there was leniency in the matter of the day and the two days, because that does not usually change the matter.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for paying it for the children he supports, this is not obligatory, but it is only on the basis of recommendation. Otherwise, every person is accountable for what Allah has made obligatory upon him.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Due to the saying of Ibn 'Umar:.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But if the head of the family pays the fitrah for all of them, and they see him doing so and agree to it, then there is no blame on him or on them in that.
The questioner : Yes, may Allah reward you.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the end of this session, in which we presented the messages of the seekers of the truth: from the Iraqi Republic, the city of Kirkuk; and Salah Sary Abu al-Khayr from the Arab Republic of Egypt; and the listener Shaker Mahmoud al-Obaydi from Iraq, Baghdad, al-Azamiyyah.
We presented these questions and inquiries to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, professor at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, and imam and khatib of the Grand Mosque in the city of 'Unayzah.
Thank you to Shaykh Muhammad, and thank you, my brothers. Until we meet again in your presence, we entrust you to Allah. Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
Second, the life of humiliation, and by this I mean psychological humiliation, meaning that a person is humiliated psychologically. The question is: Why is a person created humiliated in the Ummah of Islam, where Allah the Exalted said:
And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.
وما أرسلناك إلا رحمة للعالمينand because Allah is not ever unjust to [His] servants."
إن الله ليس بظلام للعبيدThe Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. As for what follows, this question asked by the brother relates to a great matter, which is the matter of divine decree and destiny. People are divided into two groups regarding it: some are granted success in standing firm, and some are granted success in going astray. This is the point of difficulty for many people: how can this one be misguided and that one be guided? But we point out an important point in this matter: whoever is misguided, the cause of his misguidance is himself, as Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said:
And when they deviated, Allah caused their hearts to deviate. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.
فلما زاغوا أزاغ الله قلوبهم والله لا يهدي القوم الفاسقين(5) As for he who gives and fears Allah (6) And believes in the best [reward], (7) We will ease him toward ease. (8) But as for he who withholds and considers himself free of need (9) And denies the best [reward],
فأما من أعطى واتقى وصدق بالحسنى فسنيسره لليسرى وأما من بخل واستغنى وكذّب بالحسنى فسنيسره للعسرىSo as for he who gives and fears Allah and believes in the good, We will ease him toward ease
فأما من أعطى واتقى وصدق بالحسنى فسنيسره لليسرىSo as for he who gives and fears Allah and believes in the good, We will ease him toward ease
فأما من أعطى واتقى وصدق بالحسنى فسنيسره لليسرىWe will ease him toward ease
فسنيسره لليسرىSo for their breaking of the covenant We cursed them and made their hearts hard. They distort words from their [proper] usages and have forgotten a portion of that of which they were reminded
فبما نقضهم ميثاقهم لعناهم وجعلنا قلوبهم قاسية يُحرفون الكلم عن مواضعه ونسوا حظا مما ذكروا بهThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : But you mentioned that these people were humiliated by sin.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And you also mentioned the last verse, which I believe was revealed regarding the Children of Israel, about whom Allah the Exalted said:
So for their breaking of the covenant We cursed them and made their hearts hard. They distort words from their [proper] usages
فبما نقضهم ميثاقهم لعناهم وجعلنا قلوبهم قاسية يُحرفون الكلم عن مواضعهThe Shaykh : Yes, this is correct, and that is because the right of Allah upon them to stand firm is more emphatic than the right upon those others.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And it is known that one who defiles himself with filth, and who is among the people of authority, is more severe than one who defiles himself with it and is not among the people of authority.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So the stronger the right of Allah upon the servant, and the right of Allah upon the Muslims is greater than His right upon those disbelievers, for this reason they are bound by the laws of Islam. So if he rebels, it is more severe and greater. And for this reason, when the blessing is complete upon the servant, his disobedience becomes more severe and greater.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And among this is what was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the three whom Allah will not speak to on the Day of Resurrection, nor look at them, nor purify them, and for them is a painful punishment. Among them is the one who is addicted to fornication, for he has no excuse for fornication, and he is more deserving of taking a lesson and staying away from it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Therefore, his sin is great. These are the humiliated among the Muslims, because what is obligatory upon them from the right of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, and standing firm, is more than what is obligatory upon those others.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Therefore, their disobedience is greater than the disobedience of those others, and humiliation is closer to them. Some scholars illustrated a similar matter with the court of the king and those distant from him, saying that the disobedience of the king’s court to the king is more severe and greater in impact than the disobedience of those distant from him.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So likewise, the disobedience of the Muslims is greater than that of others.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Therefore, their punishment is more severe than that of others.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : The questioner asks: Does Allah accept worship and repentance from the humiliated, and how does Allah look at them in this world and the Hereafter?
The Shaykh : Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, accepts repentance from every repentant person for every sin.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If the repentance is sincere and its five conditions are met: the first is sincerity to Allah the Exalted, such that the one who drives him to repentance is sincerity to Allah alone, not seeking worldly gain or wealth. The second is regret for the sin that occurred, for regret is a sign of the sincerity of repentance. The third is abandoning the sin immediately, and among this is performing the rights of those to whom rights are owed, if the rights belong to human beings. The fourth condition is that he resolves not to return to it in the future. The fifth condition is that the repentance is in its time, and that is before the sun rises from the west, in general.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And before the person’s death approaches, in particular.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : For this reason, Allah the Exalted said:
But repentance is not [accepted] of those who [continue to] do evil deeds up until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "Indeed, I have repented now,"
وليست التوبة للذين يعملون السيئات حتى إذا حضر أحدهم الموت قال إني تبت الأنThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If these conditions are met in the repentance, then Allah the Exalted accepts it, no matter how great the sin, as He, the Exalted, said:
Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."
قل يا عبادي الذين أسرفوا على أنفسهم لا تقنطوا من رحمة الله إن الله يغفر الذنوب جميعا إنه هو الغفور الرحيمThe questioner : Yes.
The questioner : In fact, the question of the brother from the Iraqi Republic, from the city of Kirkuk, is one that many, or the Muslims today, suffer from. Can we say that the humiliated Muslim is required to repent from his humiliation, and is humiliation also considered a sin?
The Shaykh : Humiliation is an effect of the effects of sins, a punishment.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It is not the sin itself, but the sins are the actions of the servant.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And humiliation is from the divine decree and destiny of Allah upon him because of his sins.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And they can repent from the sins, and honor will return to them, for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says:
And to Allah belongs [all] honor, and to His Messenger, and to the believers
ولله العزة ولرسوله وللمؤمنينThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And faith is a description above the absolute description of Islam:
The bedouins say, "We have believed." Say, "You have not [yet] believed; but say [instead], 'We have submitted,'
قالت الأعراب ءامنا قل لم تؤمنوا ولكن قولوا أسلمناThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So this verse, which was regarding the Bedouins in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), applies today to many of the Muslims, in their cities and their rural areas.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : They say, "We believe," but in reality we say to them: Say, "We have submitted," for faith has not entered your hearts. And that is because of the many sins and violations that diminish their faith. So we say that honor can return to the Muslims today if they are believers and return to their religion truly, for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is the most just of judges and the most fair of the fair.
The questioner : Glorified is He...
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : This is a message we received from the brother Salah Sari Abu al-Khair from the Arab Republic of Egypt, from Dakahlia. He says in his message: What is the ruling on one who reads the Gospel, and is it lawful or forbidden, knowing that he recites the Qur'an?
The Shaykh : Reciting anything other than the Noble Qur'an from the previous books is divided into two categories.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : One is that the reciter is a scholar of the Shari'ah and recites it to establish the argument against its adherents regarding the truth of what Islam brought. So the recitation here is a means to a praiseworthy matter, and it becomes praiseworthy. The second category is that the recitation is by a layperson who does not know, and he intends to be guided by these books. So this is forbidden for him, meaning this recitation is forbidden for him, because it is not permissible to seek guidance from the previous books when he has this Noble Qur'an, which confirmed what was before it of the books and is a guardian over them. And it is not permissible to seek guidance by other than what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) brought. This is the summary of the answer in the matter of reading the books of non-Muslims.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : His other question says: I have considered marrying my cousin, who works with the teachings of our pure Islamic religion. And I actually spoke to her older brother about this matter, but my family does not approve of this marriage because of old differences and problems. So should I leave my family and marry her, or should I leave her? What is the ruling of the religion in that? Is it forbidden for me or lawful if I marry her?
The Shaykh : Your marriage to her is lawful and there is no harm in it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is because there is no legal impediment, but you should try to reconcile yourself with your family as much as possible. If reconciliation is not possible, I see that there are many other women, and that you should marry a woman who suits your family and in whom there is much good. However, if you do not find anyone to your liking other than this woman, there is no blame on you for marrying her, and then you should try to please your family afterward.
The questioner : Yes.
The questioner : This is from the Iraqi Republic. The listener, Shaker Mahmoud al-Obaydi, from al-Azamiyyah in Baghdad, says: I want to know what is the nisab (minimum threshold for zakah) upon which zakah becomes obligatory, which is the amount that a lunar year passes over, and what is the amount of zakah obligatory upon me in Saudi riyals or Iraqi or Kuwaiti dinars? He says in it that he knows the rate of zakah if he knew one of them. May Allah guide you.
The Shaykh : In Saudi riyals, the amount of the nisab is fifty-six riyals of silver.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Or the equivalent thereof in paper currency. As for the Iraqi or Kuwaiti dinar, I know nothing about it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But the questioner says: I can know its amount from them if I know its amount in Saudi riyals.
The questioner : But as for the rate, does he not pay, for example, a quarter of a tenth in any...
The Shaykh : No, he is asking about the amount of the nisab, not the amount of the obligatory. As for the amount of the obligatory, it is a quarter of a tenth in all cases.
The questioner : In any wealth?
The Shaykh : In any wealth.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, in any currency.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Or in any goods for trade.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But he is asking about the amount of the nisab.
The questioner : His second question, and although it was about gold at the time, the message reached us late. He asks about the amount of zakat al-fitr, and the most suitable time to distribute it to the poor. And is the head of the family obligated to pay the share of any of his sons who live with him in the house if the son is an adult, married, and works for himself and his family? Or is the head of the family only obligated to pay the share of those he supports, such as women and minor children? And I offer you my abundant thanks.
The Shaykh : We say that the amount of zakat al-fitr is a sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg) of food, by the Prophetic sa'.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Which weighs two kilograms and forty grams, meaning approximately two and a quarter kilograms of rice or other food of the people.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is the amount of zakat al-fitr, and it is not permissible to pay it with anything other than food, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made it obligatory as a sa' of dates or barley, and that was their food at the time.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As Abu Sa'id said, our food at that time was barley, dates, raisins, and dried cheese, and wheat was not common or abundant in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, no text came from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding it. When it became abundant in the time of Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), he made half a sa' of it equal to a sa'. But Abu Sa'id differed from him in that and said, "As for me, I will not stop paying it, i.e., the sa', as I used to pay it in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)." And the correct view is with Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him).
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : That it is a sa' of whatever food it is. As for the suitable time to pay it, it is the morning of the festival, before the prayer.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because that is the time of benefiting from it, due to the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), as is reported from him:
Provide for them so that they do not have to ask on this day.
أغنوهم عن السؤال في هذا اليومThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But despite that, it is permissible to pay it one or two days before the festival, and it is not permissible to pay it before that, contrary to those among the scholars who said that it is permissible to pay it after the entry of the month of Ramadan. Because zakah is called zakat al-fitr from Ramadan, so it is attributed to the breaking of the fast, not to the fasting. And if it were not that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) made it easy for His servants, we would have said that it is not permissible to pay it except after the setting of the sun on the last day of Ramadan.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But there was leniency in the matter of the day and the two days, because that does not usually change the matter.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for paying it for the children he supports, this is not obligatory, but it is only on the basis of recommendation. Otherwise, every person is accountable for what Allah has made obligatory upon him.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Due to the saying of Ibn 'Umar:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) made zakat al-fitr obligatory upon the young and the old, the male and the female, the free and the slave, from among the Muslims.
فرض رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم زكاة الفطر على الصغير والكبير والذكر والأنثى والحر والعبد من المسلمينThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But if the head of the family pays the fitrah for all of them, and they see him doing so and agree to it, then there is no blame on him or on them in that.
The questioner : Yes, may Allah reward you.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the end of this session, in which we presented the messages of the seekers of the truth: from the Iraqi Republic, the city of Kirkuk; and Salah Sary Abu al-Khayr from the Arab Republic of Egypt; and the listener Shaker Mahmoud al-Obaydi from Iraq, Baghdad, al-Azamiyyah.
We presented these questions and inquiries to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, professor at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, and imam and khatib of the Grand Mosque in the city of 'Unayzah.
Thank you to Shaykh Muhammad, and thank you, my brothers. Until we meet again in your presence, we entrust you to Allah. Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.