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Zakat Al-Fitr; a devotional financial tax

SHAFAQNA- Islam has taken care of every aspect of the human life concentrating on the subsistence aspect in particular. It has offered laws and enjoined taxes on the rich to solve the problem of the poor and liquidate poverty. Zakat Al-Fitr is one of these taxes. So, ZakatAal-Fitr is a devotional financial tax.

What is Zakat al-Fitr?

It is religious tax/alms (Zakat) paid on the day when Muslims break the fasting period at the end of the Month of Ramadhan. This alms is known as Zakat Al- Fitr or Fitrah.

What do the Quran and Hadith say about Fitrah?

Imams (A.S) say that the verses:

“Indeed whosoever purifies himself shall achieve success, and glorifies the Name of his Lord and prays.” Quran (87: 14 & 15)

Referring to giving of Fitrah and saying prayers on Eid Al-Fitr. Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (A.S) said:

“For your fast to be accepted, give Zakat.”

Imam Ali (A.S) said,

“He who pays the obligatory alms-tax at the end of Ramadhan, Allah (SWT) uses it to make up for any deficit in the alms-tax paid on his wealth.”

Imam Al-Sadiq (A.S) said,

“Giving the alms-tax at the end of the Month of Ramadhan constitutes fasting just as sending blessings on the Prophet (PBUH) at the end of the prayer completes and constitutes the prayer. Verily the one who fasts and yet intentionally does not pay the alms-tax due, his fasting is invalid.”

The philosophy of Zakat Al-Fitr

Happy is the man who makes others happy. Eid Al-Fitr is the practical demonstration of this lesson.

Imam Ja’far As-Sadiq (A.S) said that Muslims have been asked to fast so that rich may feel the pangs of hunger and thus realize the plight of his poor and needy brethren. Looking at fast from this angle, we can easily understand the philosophy of Zakat Al-Fitrah, which every Muslim is obliged to pay on the eve of Eid Al-Fitr.

Zakat Al-Fitr governed by certain conditions

Zakat Al-Fitr is a devotional financial tax, governed by certain conditions as follows:

  1. Paying it is Wajib on every sane mature Muslim who can afford it. He is to pay it on behalf of himself and the members of his family: wife, children, parents, servants, etc.
  2. Zakat Al-Fitr is to be put aside for payment on the night preceding Eid Al-Fitr, and can be paid any time up till the noon of the Eid.
  3. The amount of Zakat Al-Fitr payable by every Muslim is nearly 3 kg of the food common in the locality, such as: wheat, rice, dates, and the like. However, their value can also be paid in cash to the Mustahiqqun [those who deserve to receive it].

To whom is Fitrah obligatory?

Paying Fitrah is obligatory on every Muslim who is mature adult (Baligh), sane, financially able, and conscious on the eve of Eid Al-Fitr. Fitrah should also be paid on behalf of all dependents (e.g. wife, children) whom one supports financially.

Ayatollah Sistani, Zakat al-Fitr, Shia Graph

When does Fitrah become Wajib?

Payment of Fitrah becomes obligatory after sunset on the eve of Eid Al-Fitr. The Fitrah should be kept aside and paid on Eid Al-Fitr before Eid prayers or before midday for those who cannot say their Eid prayers. It is necessary to have obligatory intention (Niyyah) of giving Fitrah for God’s pleasure only.

When is a host required to pay Fitrah for his guest?

If a person invites another person to his house on the eve of Eid Al-Fitr and if the guest is present at the host’s place at the time of the sunset then it is obligatory for the host to pay Fitrah for his guest.

What happens if the guest arrives after the sunset on Eid night?

In this case the guest will pay his/her own Fitrah and it is not obligatory on the host to pay Fitrah for the guest.

What happens if someone forgets or does not give Fitrah on time?

If one does not give out or set aside the Fitrah within the due time, he should give the Fitrah later, on the basis of precaution, without making the Niyyah of Adaa or Qada but only Qurbatan Ilallah.

Ayatollah Sistani, Shia Graph, Zakat al-Fitr

How to dispense Zakat Al-Fitr

In order to carry out the reformatory and subsistence aims of Zakat Al-Fitr in the society, Islam as defined the way of dispensing it among the Mustahiqqun people and establishments. These are:

  1. The poor and the needy.
  1. The collectors who levy the Zakat and distribute it.
  1. The poor debtors who are unable to pay their debts because of their poverty.
  1. Ibnus-Sabil, i.e. a traveller who has lost his money, and has been left with no means to take him back home, may be paid as much as he needs to return home.
  1. It is also spent in the way of Allah (SWT), which covers all that pleases God, the Exalted, such as building Mosques, schools, bridges, and for Jihad (war in defence of Islam), spreading Islamic culture, propagating Islam, enjoining the good deeds and forbidding the wrong deeds, and the like.

Fasting, Ramadan, Fatwas of Ayatollah Sistani, Shia Graph

It has been declared in Islam that poor are the family of Allah (SWT) and the rich persons are the agents of God. An agent has no right to despise the children of his principal when he is required to pay some of the principal’s money to his children.

This is the ideal of Islamic charity. On this auspicious day of Eid Al-Fitr, we are reminded of this sacred duty by the rules relating to Zakat Al-Fitrah. Shallow would be our joy if we shut our eyes from the plight of our poor brethren.

Sources:

-Fast, Seyyed Abul-Qasim Al-Khoei

-Fast of the Month of Ramadhan: Philosophy and Ahkam, Yasin T. Al-Jibouri

-Frequently Asked Questions on Zakat Al-Fitrah, Academy of Learning Islam

-Fasting – A Divine Banquet,Al-Balagh Foundation

-A Course In Islamic Jurisprudence – Manhajul Fiqhil Islami, Sayyid Hashim Al-Musawi

– Mizan Al-Hikmah (Scale of Wisdom),Muhammadi Reyshahri

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