(The numbered rulings are according to the Fatawa of Ayatullah Al-Udhma Seyyid Ali Al-Husaini Seestani, Dama Dhilluhu).
(The rulings in brackets are according to the Fatawa ofAyatullah Al-Udhma Seyyid Abulqassim Al-Khui, Ridhwanullahi Alayhi)
01) The obligatory amount of Fitrah is one Sä’ which is 4 Mudd; 1 Mudd is equal to about three- quarters of a kilogram. So oneSä’ is equal to 3 kilograms (about 6.6 pounds).
02) Payment of Fitrah becomes Wajib (obligatory) after sunset on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr on a person who is:
· Baligh (attained puberty),
· Aqil (sane),
· Is not needy, not poor,
· not unconscious
for himself and all his dependants wherever and whoever they are irrespective of age & belief. For those who pray Salatul Eid, it is Ehtiyat Wajib to give the Fitrah before the Eid prayers and for those not praying Salatul Eid the time extends up to beforeDhuhr.
NOTE 1: If a person spends money on someone which is sufficient for his maintenance that is not enough to consider him as one of his dependants. Dependants are required to be under his care for their livelihood.
NOTE 2: If a person is a dependant of two people, his Fitrah is obligatory on both by being divided between them.
NOTE 3: If the Fitrah of a person is obligatory on another person, it is not obligatory on him to give his Fitrah himself.
NOTE 4: If it is obligatory on a person to pay the Fitrah of another person, his obligation will not end if the latter himself pays his own Fitrah
03) For the purpose of Fitrah, dependants include guests who are present at the host’s house at the time of sunset on the eve ofEid-ul-Fitrah. However, if a guest comes without the consent of the host, his Fitrah becomes Wajib upon the host on the basis ofEhtiyat Wajib (obligatory precaution). This ruling also applies to a person who is forcibly made to maintain another person. But if he invites a person for Iftar on the night of Eid, he is not one of his dependants and his Fitrah is not obligatory on the person who invited him.
(Ehtiyat Mustahab to pay for uninvited guest or one forcibly maintained.)
04) On the basis of obligatory precaution (Ehtiyat Wajib), one should not give Fitrah from that food which is not staple in his place (town or city), even if it be wheat, barley, dates or raisins. In other words, the article of Fitrah should be the common food of the people of the town normally eaten by them, even if it is not the only thing that they eat. This is regardless of whether it is from the four categories (wheat, barley, dates and raisins) or from other than them such as rice and maize.
(Staple food has not been made a condition).
NOTE: It is sufficient if payment is made in cash instead of food.
DISBURSEMENT OF FITRAH
05) Fitrah is given to a needy person who, according to the Shari’a is a Faqeer, that is, a person who is not able to meet his living expenses for himself and for his dependants for one whole year, nor does he possess the means to earn a livelihood for himself and his dependants.
NOTE 1: It is Ehtiyat Wajib that Fitrah is given to a Faqeer who is a Shia Ithna Asheri.
(Ehtiyat Mustahab to give to a Shia Ithna-Asheri Faqeer.)
NOTE 2: The Faqeer to whom Fitrah is given need not necessarily be Adil, but it is Ehtiyat Wajib that Fitrah should not be given to a person who drinks liquor, or one who does not perform his daily Salaat or one who commits sins openly or one who will use the Fitrah in a sinful way.
NOTE 3: The essential factor is the value at the time of the payment, not at the time of the obligation, and the country in which Fitrah is paid, not the country of the person on whom the obligation is due.
06) A non-Seyyid cannot give Fitrah to a Seyyid even if he maintains a Seyyid and pays his Fitrah.
07) It is recommended to give preference to one’s relatives when giving Fitrah, then to the neighbors and then Ahlul Ilm (people of learning).
08) It is necessary to have the intention (niyyah) of giving Fitrah to fulfill God’s obligation and for His pleasure only.
09) 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 Ada or Qadha but only the Niyyah of Qurbatan Ilallah.
MISCELLANEOUS
10) If a center or a person knows of someone needy in their city, it is not religiously allowed to send the Zakat-ul-Fitrah to feed the poor out of that city. Reference: Minhajul-Saliheem, Book 1, page 383. Year 2001. Mas'ala #1182 (Imam Mahdi Association of Marjaeya)
11) It is Ehtiyat Mustahab (recommended precaution) that a Faqeer be given a minimum of one full Fitrah. More can be given to one person also. (Ehtiyat Wajib to give a minimum of one full Fitrah to a person).
12) If a worker is employed and the employer agrees to maintain him/her fully, then the servant’s Fitrah becomes Wajib upon the employer. But if the agreement is the payment of salary only, then his/her Fitrah is not Wajib upon the employer.
13) If the price of one type of grain is double of the other, one cannot give half the measure of the better grain nor its cash value as Fitrah.
14) An item set aside for Fitrah cannot be used or substituted by another item.
15) On the basis of Ehtiyat Wajib, Fitrah should not be sent outside the town one resides in if there are deserving people in that town.
16) Fitrah cannot be given before the month of Ramadhan and it is better not to give it during the month of Ramadhan. However, if a loan was given to a person who deserves to receive Fitrah, then when the Fitrah becomes due that amount can be set off against the Fitrah.
17) If Fitrah is given from a thing which is inferior or defective, it will not be sufficient.
FAQ on Zakāt al-Fitrah (Revised Ramadān 1434/August 2013)
Q. What is Zakāt al-Fitrah?
A: It is religious tax/alms (zakāt) paid on the day when Muslims break (fatar) the fasting period at the end of the month of Ramadān. This tax/alms is known as Zakāt al-Fitrah.
Q. What do the Qur’an and Hadith say about Zakāt al-Fitrah?
A: Imams say that one of the applications of the verses: Indeed whosoever purifies himself shall achieve success, and remembers (glorifies) the Name of his Lord and prays (Q 87:14 & 15) is in regards to the Zakā al-Fitrah and saying prayers on Eidul Fitr. Imam al-Sādiq said: for your fasting to be accepted, give zakāt.
Q. When does Zakā al-Fitrah become wājib (obligatory)?
A. Payment of Zakā al-Fitrah becomes wāib (obligatory) after sunset on the eve of Eidul Fitr. The Zakā al-Fitrah should be paid or set aside at the latest by the day of Eidul Fitr before Eid prayers for those who will perform the prayers, or before midday (the time of zuhr prayers) for those who will not perform Eid prayers. It is necessary to have an obligatory intention (niyyah) of giving Zakā al-Fitrah to fulfill God’s command and for His pleasure only.
Q. What happens if someone forgets or does not give Zakā al-Fitrah on time?
A. If one does not give out or set aside the Zakā al-Fitrah within the due time, he should give the Zakā al-Fitrah later, on the basis of precaution, without making the niyyah of adā(i.e. giving it on time) or qadhā(i.e. giving it after the time has elapsed) but give with the intention of Qurbatan Ilallāhonly.
Q. Can we give Zakā al-Fitrah in advance?
A. You can give the Zakā al-Fitrah anytime during the month of Ramadā before the night of Eid but then it’s mustahab to first give it as a loan and to then change your intention from it being a "loan" to "Zakā al-Fitrah" when the time has arrived to give the Zakā.
Giving the Zakā with the intention of it being the Zakā al-Fitrah prior to the month of Ramadā is not permissible. However, you can send the appropriate Academy for Learning Islam 2 FAQ on Zakat al-Fitrah 1434
amount as a temporary loan to the needy and then change your intention as described in the previous paragraph.
Q. Who has to give the Zakā al-Fitrah?
A. Every Muslim who is mature (bāligh), sane, financially able (meaning that they have means of supporting themselves and their dependents for the following year through savings and/or means of earning), and conscious on the eve of Eidul Fitr. Zakā al-Fitrah should be paid on behalf of one’s self and all dependents (e.g. wife, children) whom one supports financially.
Q: What if I’m dependent on someone who isn’t going to give Zakā al-Fitrah on my behalf?
A. If you are a dependent on someone else for whom giving Zakā al-Fitrah is wāib, but that person does not give it either out of forgetfulness or out of disobedience, it is ihtiyā wājib for you to give the Zakā al-Fitrah for yourself if the conditions are in place for it to be obligatory on you.
Q. Can I give Zakā al-Fitrah on behalf of others who are not my dependents?
A. You can offer them the required amount for them to then give to the needy. You can also distribute it on their behalf or give it to an agent to do so but only if they request you to do so.
Q. What happens if we invite guests for a meal on the eve of Eidul Fitr?
A. If the guest is not considered to be your "dependent" – for example, when the guest is just invited for iftā on the night of Eid - his fitrah is not obligatory on you.
Q. What happens if my guest is considered to be a dependent?
A. If your guest is staying with you in a way that he is considered a "dependent" – even if it be for a temporary period, and even if he was not invited – then: if the guest arrives before sunset to stay at least through the night, it’s wajib on you to give the Zakā al-Fitrah for him. But if he arrives after sunset to stay at least through the night, it is ihtiyā wāib to give his Zakā.
Q. What should be given as Zakā al-Fitrah? Academy for Learning Islam 3 FAQ on Zakat al-Fitrah 1434
A. Three kilograms (one sāa) of any local food staple (like wheat) per person or dependent. Note that an item that is not considered to be staple food locally should not be given as Zakā al-Fitrah.
Q. Can we give cash value of any commodity mentioned above?
A. Yes. For example, if wheat is a local staple and it costs $2/kg., the cash value of Zakā al-Fitrah based on wheat per person would be $6 and one who has three dependents would give $24 ($6 for himself and $18 for each of his 3 dependents).
Q. To whom should we give the Zakā al-Fitrah?
A. Needy locals who are unable to meet their own or their dependents annual living expenses through their savings or through earning. Such needy must be Shi‘ah Ithnā‘Asharī, unless none are to be found, in which case it may be given to any needy local Muslims. Only after searching and not finding needy locals may it be transferred outside of the city. The one exception is when remitting it to the Marj‘a in which case sending it outside is allowed.
Q. To whom should the Zakā al-Fitrah not be given?
A. One who consumes alcohol, does not say his daily prayers (salāt), and commits sins openly; and to one who will use it (directly or indirectly) in a sinful manner.
Q. Can we appoint an agent (like our local center’s administration) to distribute the Zakā on our behalf?
A. Yes, if you have trust that this agent will distribute it to those who are deserving.
Q. Are there any additional rules that we need to be aware of when giving the Zakā al-Fitrah?
(i) Zakā al-Fitrah given by a non-Sayyid cannot be given to a needy Sayyid, but the reverse is permissible.
(ii) Amongst the needy in town, (non-dependant) relatives and neighbors should be preferred over others when giving Zakā al-Fitrah, and those possessing knowledge, commitment to the religion, and merit should be given preference over others. Academy for Learning Islam 4 FAQ on Zakat al-Fitrah 1434
NOTE: These rulings are according to the fatāāof Āatullā Sayyid Ali al-Husaynīal-Sītānī(dz). Please feel free to make necessary changes according to the opinion of your Marja‘ al-Taqlī.
Distributed by: Academy for Learning Islam,. director@academyofislam.com;
Checked by: Shaykh Salim Yusufali, Qum al-Muqaddas.
Toronto, Canada. Tel: 647-738-6179 29 Ramadan 1434/ 7 August
