SADAQAT-UL-FITR

SADAQAT-UL-FITR

Q.   What is Sadaqat-ul-Fitr?

  Fitr means “to break the fast” or “not to keep fast”. Al-lah has ordained a Sadaqah (dole) on his servants to be given as thanksgiving for the end of fasting at the close of Ramadhan. This is known as Sadaqah-Fitr. And because of this happy occasion of the end of Ramadhan fasting, the ‘Id falling on the first of the month after Ramadhan is called the ‘Id-ul-Fitr.

Q.   For whom is the dole for breaking the fast a must?

  The dole for breaking the fast is compulsory for every Muslim who is free and is in possession of the minimum almsworthy capital.

Q.   Is the minimum prescribed almsworthy capital for the payment of Sadaqat-ul-Fitr the same as for almsgiving?

  The minimum prescribed capital for Sadaqah to be binding is the same as for Zakat e.g., 606 grams of silver or its value. But the difference between the two is that whereas Zakat becomes due only on silver, gold or merchandise, in the case of Sadaqah, capital in any form (if it not less than that prescribed for Nisab) has to be taken into account. The precondition common to both the cases, however, is that the capital must be in excess of one’s essential needs and free from all encumbrances of debt, etc.

Thus, if a person has clothes, copper utensils or china ware or he has some spare house or has other goods in excess of his essential needs and valued at more than the minimum limit for Nisab, he is exempted from payment of Zakat but not from Sadaqah. The ordained nature of Sadaqah is also irrespective of whether one year has elapsed over the capital in one’s possession or not. Not only this, Sadaqah will fall due on a person even if he has come to possess the Nisab that every day.

Q.   On whose behalf must one pay the Sadaqah?

  Every person in possession of Nisab is duty bound to pay Sadaqah on his own behalf as well as on behalf of his minor children. But if the minors are themselves the owners of capital, Sadaqah may be paid out of their capital.

Q.   It is popularly believed that no Sadaqah is due from a person who has not kept fasts. Is it a correct notion?

  No, it is not. To the contrary, Sadaqah is ordained for anyone who is the owner of Nisab irrespective of whether he has fasted or not.

Q.   At what time does the Sadaqat-ul-Fitr fall due?

  Sadaqah falls due on ‘Id morning just after the break of true dawn. There is no Sadaqah due from the property of a person who expired before true dawn. Sadaqah shall however, be paid on behalf of a child who was born before the true dawn.

Q.   Is it permissible to give Sadaqat-ul-Fitr in Ramadhan itself?

  Yes, it is permissible.

Q.   What is the best time for the payment of Sadaqat-ul-Fitr?

  The best time would be on ‘Id day before proceeding for ‘Id prayers. Delaying it till after the ‘Id prayer is also permissible. It will however, remain due as long as one has not paid it, no matter how much time has elapsed in the meantime.

Q.   State the things and their amount or quantity that can be given for Sadaqah.

  All kinds of foodgrain or cost thereof are allowed to be given for Sadaqah. If wheat or its flour is to be given, it must be given at the rate of 3 ½ lbs per head.

If barley is to be given, it must e double that quantity i.e., 7 lbs.

If some foodgrain other than wheat or barley (e.g. rice, millet, etc.) is to be given, it must be given in quantities that are equivalent in value to that of 1 ½ lb, wheat or 7 lb barley.

If however, it is to be paid in cash, it should be equal to the value of 3 ½ lb wheat or 7 lb barley.

Q.   Is it necessary to give the entire dole to one needy person or can it also be distributed among more than one?

  It can be given to more than one needy person. Similarly, doles on behalf of several persons can also be given to a single person.

Q.   Which people are eligible to receive the Sadaqat-ul-Fitr?

  Categories of people eligible to receive Zakat are also eligible to receive Sadaqah. Similarly, categories of people barred from receiving the Zakat are also barred from receiving the Sadaqah.

Q.   Can the people who are liable to pay Sadaqat-ul-Fitr receive Sadaqah or Zakat?

  No, they are prohibited to receive either of them. They are in fact barred from receiving any commanded or ordained doles, if they are in possession of Nisab for Sadaqat-ul-Fitr.

WHOM TO PAY THE ZAKAT MONEY

WHOM TO PAY THE ZAKAT MONEY

Q.   What do we mean when we use the term “whom” in the context of the payment of Zakat?

  It means specifications of the persons who can be paid Zakat money.

Q.   Who are the persons eligible to receive the Zakat money?

  In our times the following categories of people can legitimately be given the Zakat money:

             i.     A needy person i.e., a person who has some belongings but they fall short of the minimum prescribed for Nisab;

           ii.     A pauper i.e., a person who just has nothing;

         iii.     A debtor namely, a person who owes debts to others and has no almsworthy capital free from encumbrances;

          iv.     A person “on journey” who has run short of money.

It is allowed to give him as much as would suffice for his immediate needs out of the Zakat money.

Q.   Is it allowed to give Zakat money to Islamic religious schools and institutions?

  Yes, Zakat money is allowed to be given to the students. Zakat money may also be given to the management of such institutions for spending on students.

Q.   Which people are barred from receiving alms?

  The following persons are barred from receiving alms:

             i.     Any well-to-do person, namely, a person on whom Zakat is due or such a one as has capital, over and above his actual needs provided it is equivalent in value to minimum prescribed for Nisab even though the capital is in the form of copper utensils (which are in themselves excluded from the list of almsworthy capital);

           ii.     Descendant of the Prophet (peace be on him) and Bani Hashim. The term Bani applies to the descendants of Hadrat Harith bin Abdul-Muttalib, Hadrat Ja’far, Hadrat ‘Aqil, Hadrat ‘Abbas and Hadrat ‘Ali are not allowed to receive Zakat;

         iii.     Parents, grandparents and great grandparents of the person concerned;

          iv.     Sons, daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren of such a person;

            v.     Husband and wife can neither give alms to nor receive from each other;

          vi.     An unbeliever cannot be given Zakat, and

        vii.     Minor children of a well-to-do person are also barred from receiving Zakat.

No one belonging to any one of the above categories is eligible to receive alms.

Q.   How not to spend the Zakat money?

  Zakat money cannot be spent on the following: items or things in which no person is likely to be the possessor or owner of the money so spent are not fit items for utilizing the Zakat money. Thus, no such money can be spent on the burial of the dead, liquidation of debt on behalf of a dead person, construction of a Masjid or buying necessary accessories of the Masjid as carpets, tumblers, water, etc.

Q.   Suppose there is a person who owns a house valued at a few thousand rupees. He either resides in the house itself or lives on its rent. He has no other capital and is financially hard pressed. Is it permissible for us to give Zakat money to such a one?

  Yes, giving Zakat money to him is allowed. It is because the house under question is a part of his essential needs. Nevertheless, if a person has some capital over and above his essential needs and the surplus capital is equal to the minimum almsworthy capital; such a one is not entitled to receive Zakat.

Q.   We gave alms to a supposedly deserving person. Later on it was discovered that he was one of the descendants of the Prophet (peace be on him) or was quite well-to-do or else he belonged to our line (as parents or children). Will the Zakat deemed to have been duly paid in such a case?

  Yes, it will be deemed to having been duly paid. It is not necessary to give it again.

Q.   Which people are to be preferred to be given Zakat to?

  First preference should be given to one’s kin such as sister, brother, father-in-law, son-in-law, if they are deserving. Next in preference come one’s neighbours and the people of the town who deserve it more than others. Third preference should be given to those who serve the cause of Islam such as pursuing religious education.

ZAKAT (ALMS)

ZAKAT (ALMS) AS A COMMAND IN ISLAM

Q.   What do we mean by Zakat (alms)?

  Zakat is the name given in Islam to that portion of money or wealth which, as per Al-lah’s command, is given to the poor and the needy so that they become the owners of it. In other words, fasting and prayers are forms of bodily worship while Zakat is a form of worship which is pecuniary in nature.

Q.   Is the giving of alms a commanded (Fard) or an ordained (Wajib) act?

  Giving alms is a commanded act. The commanded nature of Zakat is evident from the verses of the Qur-an as well as from the sayings (Hadith) of the holy Prophet (peace be on him). Anyone denying the commanded nature of Zakat is an unbeliever.

Q.   Under what conditions does ‘alms-giving’ become a command for a person?

  ‘Alms giving’ is a command for a person who combines in himself the following conditions:

             i.     He is a Muslim;

           ii.     He is a free person;

         iii.     He is a major;

          iv.     He is the owner of Nisab (the minimum required capital free from all encumbrances and needs);

            v.     One full year has passed since he came to exclusively possess the above said capital.

Zakat will become a command and an obligation if all the above conditions combine in a person. Naturally, therefore, an unbeliever, a slave, a lunatic or a minor are not duty bound to pay Zakat.

Similarly, if a person has less capital with him than the minimum prescribed for Nisab or he is under debt or else one full year has not elapsed since he came to possess so much wealth, Zakat is not a command for him.

ALMS-WORTHY CAPITAL AND ALMS (ZAKAT)

Q.   Which capital is liable for alms to be given out of it?

  Zakat must be given out of silver, gold and all kinds of merchandise.

Q.   Does the terms silver and gold apply only to their coins or to anything and everything made thereof?

  All the things made of gold and silver are alms-worthy whether they are guineas, coins, ornaments, ware and the articles of embroidery.

Q.   Are gems (precious stones) liable for alms?

  Alms must be paid for gems in ones possession if it is meant for merchandise. If it is not for trade, no alms is commanded to be given out of it, irrespective of its value. Similarly, if a person has utensil of copper or some other metal worth than the minimum amount prescribed for charitable capital or he has shop or a house worth more than this limit for which rent is also received by him or else has goods other than gold or silver, but none of these things are traded by him, Zakat will not be a command for him.

Q.   What is the law in Shariah about a person who has government almsworthy notes?

  He is commanded to pay Zakat for them.

Q.   If a person has only a little quantity of silver and a little of gold so that neither of them constitutes the prescribed charitable capital singly, is he still commanded to pay Zakat for it?

  In such a situation, gold should first be valued in terms of silver or silver in terms of gold to see whether the value of the two put together becomes of the order fixed for Nisab (almsworthy capital). If the value is not less than the prescribed limit discussed above, Zakat must be paid, otherwise it is not necessary.

Q.   Is Zakat commanded for a person who has merely a certain quantity of gold (whether it is equivalent in value to the minimum quantity of silver prescribed for Nisab or more) and no silver in any form (coins, ornaments, etc.)?

  Zakat is not obligatory on him.

Q.   What do we mean by the term “merchandise”?

  Anything meant for sale and profit making whether food grain, sugar, footwear, grocery etc., comes under the definition of “merchandise”.

Q.   What do we mean by Nisab (almsworthy capital)?

  The Shariah has prescribed certain minimum quantities for the items of wealth out of which Zakat must be paid. The moment one comes to possess such quantities of these articles; Zakat becomes a command for him. This quantity is known as Nisab (almsworthy capital).

Q.   What is the prescribed minimum almsworthy capital for silver?

  The minimum almsworthy capital for silver is about 606 grams.

Q.   How much Zakat should be paid for 606 grams of silver?

  Zakat must be paid at the rate of 1/40^th of silver. As such the quantity to be paid out of it comes to a little over 15 grams.

Q.   What quantity of gold is the minimum almsworthy capital?

  The minimum prescribed almsworthy quantity for gold is about 89 grams and the amount of Zakat out of it calculates to about 2.22 grams.

Q.   What is the minimum amount of almsworthy capital in case of merchandise?

  Value the merchandise in terms of gold or silver. Then considering the minimum limit prescribed for either of them, calculate the Zakat on it.