‘Sharing the Eid Smile’
عن ابن عباس قال: فرض رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم زكوة الفطر طُهْرًا للصيام من اللغو و الرفث و طُعْمَةً للمساكين
It is narrated from Ibn Abbas RA that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) made Zakatal fitr (obligatory charity of Fitr- Ramadhan Eid) compulsory, as a source of ‘purification’ from mistakes and sins during fasting and a ‘feast’ for the poor. (Abu Dawood)
عن ابن عباس قال فى اخر رمضان اخرجوا صدقة صومكم, فرض رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم هذه الصدقة صاعا من تمر او شعير او نصف صاع من قَمْح على كل حر او مملوك ذكرا او انثى صغيرا او كبيرا
Ibn Abbas RA said (to the people) at the end of Ramadhan ‘ Take out your Charity of Fasting ‘ (then he narrated that) the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) made this charity compulsory, to give a Sa’ of dates or barely, or half Sa’ of wheat, it is compulsory upon all free, slave, male ,female, adults and children. (Abu Dawood and Nasai)
What is Sadaqatul fitr?
Compulsory charity discharged on Eid day.
Importance & virtues
- For the person giving it Allah will purify his fasting from any sins and defects due to the charity
- Source of ‘Eid smile’ on those who are poor and needy by providing a feast for them
Upon whom is it compulsory?
- All Muslim males, females, free, slave, young and adults as long as they have wealth beyond their necessity that is equivalent to Zakatable amount (87grams of gold, 612g of silver or its value in cash) on the dawn -fajr time of eid day
- Unlike Zakat, in Sadaqatul Fitr, possession of the wealth for the entire Islamic lunar year is not a condition, as long as a person owns that amount on Eid day,
- Unlike Zakat, the wealth doesn’t have to be gold, silver, cash or trading goods but any excess wealth beyond one’s primary needs, will be calculated
- Guardians who pay on behalf of the family must ensure they (the family) know about it
When is it compulsory?
- From the Subh Sadiq- Early dawn of Eid day, that is the beginning time of Fajr Salah because that is when Eid Day Begins
- If someone is sending it elsewhere then it is better to give it a little earlier so it reaches the needy by Eid Day
How much is compulsory?
As mentioned in hadeeth;
-One Sa’ of barely or dates that is approximately 3.5kg, or
-Half Sa’ Of wheat which is approximately 1.75kg
– Or its equivalent cash
-Speak to your Local Imam and Masjid for the amount in your locality.
Note: The reason for different prices is due to the type of product (barley or dates as prescribed in hadeeth), the different market prices and the conversion methods used from classical measuring scales and containers to modern measurements.
