قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ ﴿١٤﴾
بے شک وہ مراد کو پہنچ گیا جو پاک ہوا
Zakat
Zakat al-Fitr: who pays, how much and when
The ruling in short
Allah's Messenger ﷺ made zakat al-fitr obligatory at the end of Ramadan: one sa' of dates or barley, on every Muslim, slave or free, male or female, young or old. He ordered that it be paid before the people go out to the Eid prayer. A sa' is about three kilograms.
1Who pays
- Every Muslim who has more than his food for the day and night of Eid, for himself and for those he supports.
- It is paid for each child and each person he supports, including a baby born before the sunset of the last day of Ramadan.
2How much and what
- One sa' (about 3 kilograms) of the main food of the country: wheat, rice, dates, barley, raisins and so on.
- Most scholars say it must be paid as food. The Hanafi school allows its value in money.
3When
- Its time is from the sunset of the last day of Ramadan until the Eid prayer. It is permitted a day or two earlier, as the Companions did.
- Paying it after the Eid prayer is only a regular charity and the duty is not fulfilled, except if the person had a valid excuse.
Where the schools differ
The four Sunni schools agree on the main ruling above and differ in these points. No school is preferred here.
- Paying the value in money. the Hanafi school allows it, and the majority (Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali) require food, since the hadith names foods.
The evidence
From the Quran
وَذَكَرَ ٱسْمَ رَبِّهِۦ فَصَلَّىٰ ﴿١٥﴾
اور اپنے پروردگار کے نام کا ذکر کرتا رہا اور نماز پڑھتا رہا
From the Sunnah
Sahih al-Bukhari 1503 Authentic collection
The point of the hadith: The Prophet ﷺ made zakat al-fitr one sa' of dates or barley for every Muslim, and ordered that it be paid before the Eid prayer.
Read the Arabic text
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ السَّكَنِ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَهْضَمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ نَافِعٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ فَرَضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم زَكَاةَ الْفِطْرِ صَاعًا مِنْ تَمْرٍ، أَوْ صَاعًا مِنْ شَعِيرٍ عَلَى الْعَبْدِ وَالْحُرِّ، وَالذَّكَرِ وَالأُنْثَى، وَالصَّغِيرِ وَالْكَبِيرِ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَأَمَرَ بِهَا أَنْ تُؤَدَّى قَبْلَ خُرُوجِ النَّاسِ إِلَى الصَّلاَةِ.
This is general information, not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.
Fiqh questions
Zakat al-Fitr: who pays, how much and when
Allah's Messenger ﷺ made zakat al-fitr obligatory at the end of Ramadan: one sa' of dates or barley, on every Muslim, slave or free, male or female, young or old. He ordered that it be paid before the people go out to the Eid prayer. A sa' is about three kilograms.
Is this a fatwa?
No. It is a summary of well-known rulings with their evidence. For your own case, ask a qualified scholar.
What if my school differs from this answer?
Follow the view of the school you follow and the scholar who teaches you. The page lists the differences of the four schools.