Sadaqat al-Fitr (Zakat al-Fitr)
Who must pay Sadaqat al-Fitr, when it becomes due, how much to give of each kind of food, and who may receive it.
Sadaqat al-Fitr (also called Zakat al-Fitr or fitrana) is a small obligatory gift given around Eid al-Fitr. It is different from ordinary Zakat: your wealth does not need to have grown, or been owned for a year, or come from trade, and even children and people who are insane must have it paid on their behalf by their guardian.
Sadaqat al-Fitr is obligatory on anyone who is free, Muslim, and owns wealth beyond their basic needs and free of debt.
When it is due, and for whom
- It becomes obligatory the moment dawn (Fajr) begins on the day of Eid al-Fitr.It is given for a baby born just before dawn that day. It is not taken from the wealth of someone who dies just before dawn.
- You can pay it any time on the day of Eid, but it is best to pay it before the Eid prayer.Paying after the prayer is still allowed. If it is not paid, it stays owed forever; it does not go away.
- You do not have to be fasting to owe it.
- You must pay it for yourself and for your own young children.If a child already has their own money, it is paid from the child's own wealth instead.
- You do not have to pay it for grown-up children, even if they live with you, unless they are insane, in which case you do.
- A mother does not have to pay it for her young children.
- A husband does not have to pay it for his wife; she pays it herself from her own wealth.
For each person it is paid for, give half a sa' of wheat (or its value in money), or one full sa' of barley, dates or raisins (or their value).
Sadaqat al-Fitr, also called Zakat al-Fitr, is a separate obligation from Zakat proper, though its conditions of validity are the same. The wealth on which it is based does not have to be growing (nāmī) or have been owned for a year, and it does not need to come from trade. Even minors and the insane are obliged to pay it, through their guardian (walī), who pays on their behalf.
Sadaqat al-Fitr is obligatory, subject to three conditions: being free (not a slave); being Muslim; and owning wealth beyond one's basic needs and free of debt.
Sadaqat al-Fitr becomes obligatory as soon as dawn (Fajr) begins on the day of Eid al-Fitr. It is given on behalf of a child born before dawn that day, but it is not taken from the wealth of a person who dies before dawn.
Who must pay it, and for whom
- It is obligatory to pay Sadaqat al-Fitr for oneself and for one's own minor children.If the children have wealth of their own, it is paid from that wealth.
- It is not obligatory for adult children, even those still under their father's care, unless they are insane, in which case it is.
- It is not obligatory on a mother to pay it for her minor children.
- A husband is not obliged to pay it for his wife; it is her own responsibility to pay it from her own wealth.
| If giving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Wheat (as flour, or roasted barley) | Half a sa' |
| Barley, dates, or raisins | One full sa' |
It is preferable to give the flour of wheat or barley rather than the grain itself, and better still to give the monetary equivalent, likewise for dates and raisins. If a different staple (rice or millet, for example) is given instead of these four, it should match the value of half a sa' of wheat or one sa' of barley; cash may be given in any amount of equal value, and it is better, where possible, to give the value of the more expensive item.
Ṣadaqat al-Fiṭr (Zakāt al-Fiṭr) is obligatory independently of the general conditions of Zakāh proper, though its conditions of correctness (ṣiḥḥah) mirror them exactly. The wealth need not be nāmī, need not have completed a ḥawl, and need not derive from trade; minors and the insane are themselves obligated, the walī discharging it on their behalf.
Ṣadaqat al-Fiṭr is farḍ, conditioned on three things: ḥurriyyah (freedom from slavery); Islam; and possession of wealth beyond ḥājah aṣliyyah and free of debt.
The obligation attaches at the entry of the second Fajr (ṭulūʿ al-fajr) of ʿĪd al-Fiṭr. It is given for a child born before that dawn; it is not taken from the estate of one who dies before it.
On whose behalf it is discharged
- Obligatory for oneself and for one's own minor children.Where such children have independent wealth, it is paid from that wealth rather than the father's.
- Not obligatory for adult children, even where they remain under the father's care, unless insane, in which case it is.
- Not obligatory on a mother in respect of her minor children.
- Not obligatory on a husband in respect of his wife; the obligation is hers, dischargeable from her own wealth.
| Staple given | Amount |
|---|---|
| Wheat (as flour, or roasted barley) | Half a ṣāʿ |
| Barley, dates, or raisins | One full ṣāʿ |
Giving the flour rather than the unmilled grain is preferable (afḍal), and giving the monetary value of any of the four is more preferable still. Where a different staple altogether is given (rice or millet, for example), its value must match half a ṣāʿ of wheat or a full ṣāʿ of barley; cash of equivalent value is likewise valid in any denomination, and giving the value of the costlier staple is preferred where practicable.
Terms on this page
Related
- The ruling on zakat, and when it becomes obligatory Who zakat is obligatory on, what denying it means, and the eight conditions that must all be met before zakat is due.
- The conditions for a valid payment of zakat What makes an act of giving actually count as zakat: who can pay it, the intention it needs, and who it must reach.
- Who may receive zakat The seven categories entitled to zakat, who may never receive it, and the preferred order for choosing who to give it to.
- Miscellaneous rules of zakat The age of a zakat animal, why herds of different animals cannot be combined, and the option to pay zakat in cash or in kind.