Sadaqah Al-Fitr

It’s a compulsory obligation for those who are well-off and giving Sadaqah Al-Fitr in the holy month of Ramadan is considered to be a special thanksgiving to the poor, whether in the form of setting up charity food or giving a small amount of money to low street souls

What Type of Food Contribution Can You Make?

Praise be to Allah.

Sadqa al-Fitr may be given in the form of any staple food, such as wheat, corn, rice, beans, lentils, chickpeas, foul (fava beans), pasta, meat and so on. The Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) enjoined giving one saa‘ of food, and the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them) used to give it in the form of the local staple food.

Difference between Zakat and Sadaqa Al-Fitr

The difference lies in the rightness of the deeds. For Sadaqa Al-Fitr is compulsory on ones who are financially stable and it becomes the responsibility of the head of the family to pay for the other members while Zakat, on the other hand, is mandatory for Muslims who meet the Nisab values after their yearly earnings are calculated.

The second and main difference varies in amount. The amount due for Sadaqa Al-Fitr is less than that of a large amount of Zakat because it's 2.5% of all net savings.

Pay Sadaqa Al-Fitr before Eid Prayers

It goes hand-in-hand during Ramadan and is paid during Ramadan before the month of blessings concludes. It’s at any cost needs to be paid before the Eid prayers as the late payment goes invalid. It can be donated by means of dates, raisins, grain such as rice, wheat etc.

The Fiqh of Sadaqah Al-Fitr

The great Hanafi jurist Ibn al-Humaam mentions,

“Sadaqah al-fitr is compulsory upon every free Muslim.” (Sharh fath al-qadeer 2/285 Dar al-kutub al-ilmiyyah)

Another scholar based opinion indicates the command.

Abdullah Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) narrates,

“The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) declared the payment of Sadaqah al-fitr as obligatory; it purifies the fasting person from any indecent act or speech, and is a source of feeding the poor.  If one pays Sadaqah al-fitr before the salaah, it is considered an accepted charity, if he pays it after the salaah, it is considered an ordinary charity.” (Abu Dawud p.263 Dar al-kutub al-ilmiyyah).

Be sure to total the Pre-Requisites of Sadaqa Al-Fitr

1. Islam

Islam is the opening pre-requisite tome Sadaqa Al-Fitr compulsory for you.

2. Slavery Free

A slave, in any case, will not be obliged to be eligible for this. Only the free Muslims are obliged for this action.

3. Quantum (nisaab) for Sadaqah al-Fitr:

Possessing quantum means: that threshold of wealth one must have for Sadaqah al-Fitr to be compulsory.  If somebody possesses less than that amount, he will not be obliged to pay Sadaqah al-fitr.

The specifying of a quantum is based upon the fact that in many places, Sadaqah al-fitr has been termed as Zakaat al-fitr.  For example, the narration of Abdullah ibn Umar in Sahih al-Bukhari has the wording ‘zakaat al-fitr’.  Also, the report of Abu Saeed al-Khudri in Sahih Muslim bears the same terminology.