Discussion regarding the rulings of zakat al-fitr.
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The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. The author says "Zakat al-Fitr". What does he mean by "fitr" here? The breaking of the fast in Ramadan. Why is it attributed to it? To the breaking of the fast in Ramadan.
The questioner : One night before the festival.
The Shaykh : Yes, Salih?
The questioner : It is from the category of attributing a thing to its cause.
The Shaykh : It is from the category of attributing a thing to its cause, because its cause is the breaking of the fast. Therefore, if a person dies before the sun sets on the last day of Ramadan, even by a moment, there is no zakat upon him. Now, what is its ruling, Abdullah?
The questioner : It is obligatory.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory... What is the evidence?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : It is fard (obligatory) based on the statement of Ibn 'UmarSahih al-Bukhari 1503. Now, is it obligatory upon the disbeliever? Ali, Qahatani, is it obligatory upon the disbeliever?
The questioner : No, if he sees the benefit, it becomes obligatory.
The Shaykh : What is the benefit? For him or for the poor? For whom is the benefit?
The questioner : For the poor.
The Shaykh : The benefit is not of this nature. It is for the poor when food comes to them.
The questioner : It is not obligatory.
The Shaykh : It is not obligatory?
The questioner : It is not obligatory upon the disbeliever.
The Shaykh : It is not obligatory upon the disbeliever, even if she is a wife?
The questioner : Even if he is.
The Shaykh : Even if she is a wife, or even if he is a slave?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Muhammad?
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh, it is not obligatory. It is not obligatory upon the disbeliever.
The Shaykh : Upon the disbeliever.
The questioner : Because he does not become pure.
The Shaykh : Even if she is a wife?
The questioner : Even if she is a wife.
The Shaykh : For example, a man marries a woman from the People of the Book. Now, what if he is a slave?
The questioner : Even if he is a slave.
The Shaykh : That is, a man has a slave who is a disbeliever; is his zakat al-fitr not obligatory?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Correct. Therefore, in your phrase, it is obligatory upon every Muslim, clear? And the hadith of Ibn 'Umar is from the Muslims. Now, is its obligation upon each specific person, or is it obligatory upon the person and those he supports? Zuhayr.
The questioner : It is obligatory upon each specific person.
The Shaykh : Yes, what is the evidence?
The questioner : ... The hadith of Ibn 'Umar.
The Shaykh : The hadith of Ibn 'Umar.
The questioner : .
The Shaykh : And the principle in addressing the command is, yes, to each person individually. Now, we are left with the slaves: is zakat al-fitr obligatory upon them or upon their master?
The questioner : Upon his master.
The Shaykh : Upon his master. What is the evidence?
The questioner : The evidence.
The Shaykh : Khalil?
The questioner : Upon the slave himself.
The Shaykh : Upon the slave himself.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : He has no wealth.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Good, yes.
The questioner : The evidence is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 36:273.
The Shaykh : So his wealth belongs to the one who sold him.
The questioner : Except...
The Shaykh : There is no evidence for this.
The questioner : The evidence itself.
The Shaykh : Huh?
The questioner : The same hadith of Ibn 'Umar...
The Shaykh : In reality, we established yesterday that nothing is upon the slave because he does not own anything, but in "Sahih Muslim"Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 4:334. And on this basis, he is excluded by the text, meaning that the master is obligated to pay the zakat of his slave. The reason for this is clear, because the slave is owned by the master, so he must purify him, because it is not possible for the slave to own. Some scholars said, rather, it is obligatory upon the slave himself, and the master is obligated to free the slave at the end of Ramadan so that he can earn what he uses to pay zakat al-fitr. Do you understand? But this opinion is weak, first, because the hadith regarding the exclusion of slaves is authentic, and there is no opinion for anyone after the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
And the second thing is that among the established principles among scholars is that what is not completed without is not obligatory. So we do not say to a person who trades, "Zakat is obligatory upon you." We do not say this. Nor do we say to the master, "Free the slave at the end of Ramadan in order to obtain zakat al-fitr." So the correct view is that zakat al-fitr regarding slaves is upon their master, due to the establishment of the hadith in that regard. Now.
The author says his basic needs. Is there a basic and a secondary? The brother.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, no, he says, Fadel, did you not attend?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : He says, and it is considered to be after his basic needs.
The questioner : For me, after... for example, the needs of the house.
The Shaykh : Yes, the basic ones.
The questioner : Yes, if the house needs it, then the zakat is after the basic ones, meaning from the luxuries, before...
The Shaykh : Yes, well done. We mentioned that needs are three: dire necessity, basic, and luxury. Dire necessity is known as that which nothing is prioritized over. Basic needs are also those that a person needs in his house, like a cooking pot, a tea kettle, a coffee pot, a cup, a mat to sit on, a refrigerator. All these are basic needs. It is not said to a person, "Sell your refrigerator to pay zakat al-fitr and be content with a leather water skin instead of the refrigerator." Do you know what a leather water skin is? A water skin. We say, instead of cooling with the refrigerator, sell it for five thousand. No, how much is it worth? Seven hundred riyals. Let's leave it, and buy a water skin for one hundred riyals. Yes, or a large water jar. Yes, now. So basic needs are what a person needs in the house, not luxuries.
Is it obligatory for the Muslim to pay for the one he supports, according to what the author followed?
The questioner : It is obligatory.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory. What is its evidence? What is the author's evidence? Now, there is also a report we mentioned to you, which is the report of Ibn 'Umar that he used to pay for himself and his family, even his freed slaves, to the extent that he used to pay for Nafi' and the sons of Nafi'. He used to pay the fitrah for them. But this report does not indicate obligation, so it is not used as evidence. Now.
A man hosted another person every month of Ramadan, from the beginning to the end.
The questioner : According to the author's statement, he pays for him.
The Shaykh : According to the author's statement, he pays for him because he hosted him in the month of fasting, and his breaking of the fast is the cause for the obligation of expiation. And according to the stronger opinion, it is not obligatory upon him.
The questioner : One night before the festival.
The Shaykh : Yes, Salih?
The questioner : It is from the category of attributing a thing to its cause.
The Shaykh : It is from the category of attributing a thing to its cause, because its cause is the breaking of the fast. Therefore, if a person dies before the sun sets on the last day of Ramadan, even by a moment, there is no zakat upon him. Now, what is its ruling, Abdullah?
The questioner : It is obligatory.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory... What is the evidence?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : It is fard (obligatory) based on the statement of Ibn 'Umar
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) enjoined the payment of one Sa' of dates or one Sa' of barley as Zakat-ul-Fitr on every Muslim slave or free, male or female, young or old
فرض رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم زكاة الفطر صاعا من تمر أو صاع من شعير على الحر والعبد والصغير والكبير والذكر والأنثى من المسلمينThe questioner : No, if he sees the benefit, it becomes obligatory.
The Shaykh : What is the benefit? For him or for the poor? For whom is the benefit?
The questioner : For the poor.
The Shaykh : The benefit is not of this nature. It is for the poor when food comes to them.
The questioner : It is not obligatory.
The Shaykh : It is not obligatory?
The questioner : It is not obligatory upon the disbeliever.
The Shaykh : It is not obligatory upon the disbeliever, even if she is a wife?
The questioner : Even if he is.
The Shaykh : Even if she is a wife, or even if he is a slave?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Muhammad?
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh, it is not obligatory. It is not obligatory upon the disbeliever.
The Shaykh : Upon the disbeliever.
The questioner : Because he does not become pure.
The Shaykh : Even if she is a wife?
The questioner : Even if she is a wife.
The Shaykh : For example, a man marries a woman from the People of the Book. Now, what if he is a slave?
The questioner : Even if he is a slave.
The Shaykh : That is, a man has a slave who is a disbeliever; is his zakat al-fitr not obligatory?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Correct. Therefore, in your phrase, it is obligatory upon every Muslim, clear? And the hadith of Ibn 'Umar is from the Muslims. Now, is its obligation upon each specific person, or is it obligatory upon the person and those he supports? Zuhayr.
The questioner : It is obligatory upon each specific person.
The Shaykh : Yes, what is the evidence?
The questioner : ... The hadith of Ibn 'Umar.
The Shaykh : The hadith of Ibn 'Umar.
The questioner :
Upon the free person and the slave, the young and the old, the male and the female, from the Muslims.
على الحر والعبد والصغير والكبير والذكر والأنثى من المسلمينThe Shaykh : And the principle in addressing the command is, yes, to each person individually. Now, we are left with the slaves: is zakat al-fitr obligatory upon them or upon their master?
The questioner : Upon his master.
The Shaykh : Upon his master. What is the evidence?
The questioner : The evidence.
The Shaykh : Khalil?
The questioner : Upon the slave himself.
The Shaykh : Upon the slave himself.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : He has no wealth.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Good, yes.
The questioner : The evidence is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
Whoever sells a slave... his wealth belongs to the one who sold him.
من باع عبدا ... فماله لمن باعهThe Shaykh : So his wealth belongs to the one who sold him.
The questioner : Except...
The Shaykh : There is no evidence for this.
The questioner : The evidence itself.
The Shaykh : Huh?
The questioner : The same hadith of Ibn 'Umar...
The Shaykh : In reality, we established yesterday that nothing is upon the slave because he does not own anything, but in "Sahih Muslim"
There is no charity upon a Muslim in his horse or his slave except the charity of fitrah in the slave.
ليس على المسلم في فرسه ولا عبده صدقة إلا صدقة الفطر في الرقيقAnd the second thing is that among the established principles among scholars is that what is not completed without is not obligatory. So we do not say to a person who trades, "Zakat is obligatory upon you." We do not say this. Nor do we say to the master, "Free the slave at the end of Ramadan in order to obtain zakat al-fitr." So the correct view is that zakat al-fitr regarding slaves is upon their master, due to the establishment of the hadith in that regard. Now.
The author says his basic needs. Is there a basic and a secondary? The brother.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : No, no, he says, Fadel, did you not attend?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : He says, and it is considered to be after his basic needs.
The questioner : For me, after... for example, the needs of the house.
The Shaykh : Yes, the basic ones.
The questioner : Yes, if the house needs it, then the zakat is after the basic ones, meaning from the luxuries, before...
The Shaykh : Yes, well done. We mentioned that needs are three: dire necessity, basic, and luxury. Dire necessity is known as that which nothing is prioritized over. Basic needs are also those that a person needs in his house, like a cooking pot, a tea kettle, a coffee pot, a cup, a mat to sit on, a refrigerator. All these are basic needs. It is not said to a person, "Sell your refrigerator to pay zakat al-fitr and be content with a leather water skin instead of the refrigerator." Do you know what a leather water skin is? A water skin. We say, instead of cooling with the refrigerator, sell it for five thousand. No, how much is it worth? Seven hundred riyals. Let's leave it, and buy a water skin for one hundred riyals. Yes, or a large water jar. Yes, now. So basic needs are what a person needs in the house, not luxuries.
Is it obligatory for the Muslim to pay for the one he supports, according to what the author followed?
The questioner : It is obligatory.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory. What is its evidence? What is the author's evidence?
Pay the fitrah for those you support.
أدّوا الفطرة عمن تمونونA man hosted another person every month of Ramadan, from the beginning to the end.
The questioner : According to the author's statement, he pays for him.
The Shaykh : According to the author's statement, he pays for him because he hosted him in the month of fasting, and his breaking of the fast is the cause for the obligation of expiation. And according to the stronger opinion, it is not obligatory upon him.