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Definition and Purpose of Zakat al Fitr
Zakat al Fitr is a special obligatory charity that is connected specifically to the month of Ramadan. It is paid once a year at the end of Ramadan and is due on every Muslim who has enough to feed himself and his dependents for the day and night of Eid.
It is called “zakat” because it purifies, and “al Fitr” because it is linked to breaking the fast at the end of Ramadan. It is not the same as the yearly zakat on wealth. It is a small amount of staple food or its equivalent in value, given to the poor at the end of Ramadan so that they can share in the joy of Eid and so that the fasting person’s shortcomings in Ramadan are purified.
Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) said:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ obligated Zakat al Fitr as a purification for the fasting person from idle talk and obscene speech and as food for the poor. Whoever gives it before the prayer, it is accepted zakat. Whoever gives it after the prayer, it is just ordinary charity.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd)
This hadith shows two main purposes. First, it cleans the mistakes and slips that occurred during fasting in Ramadan. Second, it helps the poor and needy so that they have enough on the day of Eid.
Although the Qur’an does not mention Zakat al Fitr by this name, it orders purification through charity and spending, and the scholars understood Zakat al Fitr as one of the practical applications of this command:
“Take from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them to grow, and invoke blessings upon them.”
(Qur’an 9:103)
Zakat al Fitr is a charity that purifies both the fasting person’s soul and the condition of the poor in the community.
Zakat al Fitr is an obligatory act at the end of Ramadan on those who are able, and it serves as a purification of the fasting person and a provision for the poor on the day of Eid.
Who Has to Pay Zakat al Fitr
Zakat al Fitr is required from every Muslim, whether man or woman, young or old, free or slave, as long as the person has more than what is needed for his and his dependents’ basic daily and nightly sustenance at the end of Ramadan.
The proof that it is obligatory comes from the clear wording of Ibn Umar (رضي الله عنهما):
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ made obligatory (farada) Zakat al Fitr as a saʿ of dates or a saʿ of barley, upon the slave and the free, the male and the female, the young and the old among the Muslims. And he ordered that it be given before the people go out to the (Eid) prayer.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
From this hadith, several rulings are clear. It applies to all Muslims without exception based on age or gender. It is linked to Islam, because the text says, “among the Muslims.” It is not required from non Muslims. It is due even on children, but children themselves do not pay it. Their guardian or parent pays on their behalf.
The scholars explain that the head of the household is responsible to pay Zakat al Fitr on behalf of those whom he supports, such as his wife, minor children, and sometimes other dependents. The duty is tied to financial ability. If a Muslim owns only the minimum food needed for Eid day and night, with nothing extra, then he is not required to pay Zakat al Fitr. If he has surplus beyond that, then it becomes obligatory.
Every Muslim who has enough food for himself and those he supports on the night and day of Eid, plus some extra, must give Zakat al Fitr for himself and for those under his care.
What Is Given as Zakat al Fitr
The basic rule of Zakat al Fitr concerns food, not money. In the time of the Prophet ﷺ, the companions would give a specific measure of the common staple foods that people used every day.
Ibn Umar (رضي الله عنهما) said:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ made obligatory Zakat al Fitr at the end of Ramadan, a saʿ of dates or a saʿ of barley, upon every free person and slave, male and female, among the Muslims.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al Bukhārī)
Abu Saʿid al Khudri (رضي الله عنه) said:
“We used to give Zakat al Fitr in the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as a saʿ of food, or a saʿ of barley, or a saʿ of dates, or a saʿ of dried cottage cheese, or a saʿ of raisins.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al Bukhārī)
From these narrations we learn that Zakat al Fitr is given from the staple food that people commonly eat. That can be grains and similar staples that can store well, such as wheat, rice, barley, dates, raisins, or similar. The exact type of food can vary from place to place based on what people depend on for their regular meals.
A saʿ is a traditional measure of volume, and the scholars calculated it to be about four double handfuls of an average adult, which is commonly estimated to be around 2 to 3 kilograms depending on the type of food. Many Islamic authorities in different countries announce a clear amount in local units before Eid so that people can easily know how much to give.
The majority of early scholars insisted that the Zakat al Fitr should be paid in food, because this is what the Prophet ﷺ specifically commanded and practiced. Other scholars, especially in later times, allowed paying its cash value, especially if this achieves better benefit for the poor and easier distribution, but this is a matter of difference of opinion among them. The beginner should know that the safest and most agreed upon way is to give staple food in the measured amount.
The original and agreed upon form of Zakat al Fitr is one saʿ of common staple food for each person, as practiced by the companions in the time of the Prophet ﷺ.
The Time When Zakat al Fitr Becomes Due
Zakat al Fitr is closely tied to the end of Ramadan. It does not belong to the beginning or the middle of the month. It becomes due when Ramadan is completed and the time of breaking the fast for the last day arrives. The scholars differ whether its obligation begins at sunset of the last day of Ramadan or at the dawn of the day of Eid. Both views are based on the link between Zakat al Fitr and the completion of fasting.
In practice, this difference affects small details, such as whether a child born just after sunset on the last day of Ramadan has Zakat al Fitr due for him or not. For the simple learner, what matters is the main guidance which is clearly mentioned in hadith about when to give it.
Ibn Umar (رضي الله عنهما) said:
“…and he ﷺ ordered that it be paid before the people go out to the (Eid) prayer.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al Bukhārī)
The purpose is that the poor should receive it in time to use it on Eid day. The jurists thus spoke about three times for Zakat al Fitr. The permissible time begins a day or two before Eid. The best and recommended time is after Fajr on the day of Eid but before the Eid prayer. The disliked time is after the Eid prayer, because then it no longer fulfills its special purpose related to the joy of Eid.
Abdullah ibn Umar (رضي الله عنهما) clarified:
“They used to give it a day or two before the Eid.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al Bukhārī)
This shows that the companions would not delay it until after the prayer, and they were happy to give it shortly before Eid so that the poor would be ready for Eid day.
The Sunnah is to give Zakat al Fitr before the Eid al Fitr prayer, within the last day or two of Ramadan up to before the prayer, so that the poor can benefit from it on the day of Eid.
Delaying or Missing Zakat al Fitr
If a person delays Zakat al Fitr until after the Eid prayer without a valid excuse, then he has sinned and lost the full virtue of this charity. It still remains a debt on him that he must pay to the poor, but its special status as Zakat al Fitr is considered lost, and it becomes like a normal voluntary charity.
This ruling is taken from the clear wording of the hadith of Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما):
“Whoever gives it before the prayer, it is accepted zakat. Whoever gives it after the prayer, it is just ordinary charity.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd)
The meaning of “accepted zakat” here means that it fully meets its intended purpose as legislated by the Prophet ﷺ. Giving it after the prayer means that its special link to Eid and purification of the fasting is incomplete, because the time that the Prophet ﷺ specified has been ignored. However, the right of the poor still exists, so the poor must still receive that amount.
If someone truly was not able to give Zakat al Fitr in time, for example he only came to know about the obligation after the Eid prayer, or did not find anyone to receive it, then in this case he is excused from sin but must still give it as soon as he can. Allah the Exalted says in a general rule:
“Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.”
(Qur’an 2:286)
The student must understand that the purpose of this strict time is not to make things difficult but to protect the benefit of the poor on a day of joy, and to discipline the Muslim to plan his worship and obligations properly.
Deliberately delaying Zakat al Fitr until after the Eid prayer without excuse is sinful, and the charity then loses its status as Zakat al Fitr and becomes regular charity, although it still remains due.
Who Receives Zakat al Fitr
The primary recipients of Zakat al Fitr are the poor and the needy who do not have enough to cover their needs. This is clear from the words of Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) that Zakat al Fitr is “…food for the poor.”
“…and as food for the poor.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd)
In general, the categories of those who may receive Zakat al Fitr follow the same eight types mentioned in the Qur’an for zakat in general, although Zakat al Fitr usually goes especially to the poor and needy. Allah the Exalted says:
“Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and the needy, and those employed to collect it, and for bringing hearts together, and for freeing captives, and for those in debt, and for the cause of Allah, and for the traveler; an obligation imposed by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise.”
(Qur’an 9:60)
Because Zakat al Fitr is small in amount and closely tied to one day, most scholars prefer that it is focused on the poor and needy among Muslims in the local community first so that they can share in the celebration and do not have to ask others on the day of Eid.
It is not allowed to give Zakat al Fitr to those whom a person must support anyway, such as his parents, his children, or his wife, since he is already obliged to provide for them from his regular money. Instead, it is given to those who are outside his obligatory financial responsibility.
Modern methods of collection and distribution exist in many communities, such as Islamic centers, mosques, or trustworthy organizations that collect Zakat al Fitr and distribute it to the needy. The Muslim must still intend Zakat al Fitr when he hands it to such a collector, and those who distribute must try their best to deliver it before Eid day or at least by Eid morning.
The main recipients of Zakat al Fitr are poor and needy Muslims, especially in one’s own community, so that they do not have to beg and can enjoy the day of Eid with sufficient food.
Zakat al Fitr and the Spirit of Eid
Zakat al Fitr is not only a legal duty. It is part of the spiritual meaning of Eid al Fitr itself. Eid al Fitr is the celebration that comes after obedience and mercy in Ramadan. Zakat al Fitr connects the fasting person’s private act of worship to the social responsibility he has toward others.
By giving a small amount of food for each member of the family, the Muslim remembers that his own joy on Eid should not be separated from the joy of those who have less. He goes to the Eid prayer with a clean conscience that he has tried to purify himself and to help others.
The Prophet ﷺ said about the believers:
“The example of the believers in their mutual love, mercy, and compassion is that of a single body. If one part of it is in pain, the rest of the body shares the sleeplessness and fever.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
Zakat al Fitr is a yearly practice that trains the Muslim to feel this unity. He finishes Ramadan not by thinking only of his own forgiveness, but by looking outward and giving a share of his wealth to those who need it most.
Through this, the community is strengthened, and the Eid prayer is not only a gathering of those who are comfortable, but a gathering where the poor have also been honored with food and dignity. The fasting person ends his month of patience and self control with a final act of generosity, covered by the promise of Allah, the Most High:
“Whatever you spend in good, it will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged.”
(Qur’an 2:272)
Zakat al Fitr completes the fasting of Ramadan by linking the worship of Allah to mercy toward His servants, so that the joy of Eid is shared by the whole community.