Zakat al-Fitr: what you need to know

Zakat al-Fitr is an alms prescribed for every Muslim at the end of the month of Ramadan. It is due once a year and is a religious obligation for every Muslim, adult or minor, man or woman, rich or poor.

It has two main purposes:

• Purifying the one who fasts: it purifies the fast of any shortcomings committed during the month of Ramadan (idle talk, inappropriate behaviour, etc.).
• Solidarity with the poor: it allows people in need to celebrate Eid in dignity and to meet their needs on this day of joy.

Although both are Islamic obligations linked to purification and solidarity, they differ on several essential points:

Zakat al-Fitr is due from every Muslim: adult or minor, man or woman, rich or poor. In practice, the head of the family (or the person responsible for the household) pays it for themselves and for all the Muslims who are their dependants.
Most schools of law hold that even a poor Muslim must pay it, so as to give them a sense of responsibility and an awareness of solidarity. That same poor person is, of course, entitled in turn to receive their share according to their need.

The payment times:

1. Obligatory time: from the eve until the very morning of Eid, before the prayer.
2. Permitted time: it may be paid one or two days before Eid. According to another opinion, from the beginning of Ramadan.
3. Early payment to institutions: it is permitted to give it a few days before the festival so that institutions can properly organise its collection and distribution.

If it is late:

Zakat al-Fitr must be paid before the Eid prayer. If it is paid afterwards, it no longer counts as Zakat al-Fitr but as ordinary alms (Sadaqa). The Muslim thus loses the specific reward attached to this obligation, although the alms remain meritorious in themselves.

Yes, it is permitted to pay Zakat al-Fitr in monetary value:

• The classical opinion: most of the classical schools advocate payment in foodstuffs.
• The opinion permitting money: the Hanafi school and many contemporary councils of jurisprudence permit payment in money, which is considered more practical and more beneficial for the recipient.

A firm historical precedent:

In the time of the Companions, when wheat appeared in Arabia, most of them compared the value of the different foodstuffs with one another (one sa’ of wheat being equivalent to two sa’ of barley because of the difference in price), which shows that they were already relying on the notion of monetary value. Likewise, the rightly guided Caliph Umar Ibn Abdelaziz ordered every official to pay half a dirham as Zakat al-Fitr.

In short, it is permitted to take monetary value into account, and this varies from country to country.

The amount of Zakat al-Fitr rests on a fundamental principle drawn from the Sunnah: satisfying the hunger of the poor (al-ishba’). The quantity set by the prophetic tradition (one sa’, about 2.5 to 3 kg of staple food) is meant to ensure that a person in need can eat a full and nourishing meal on the day of Eid.

To determine the equivalent monetary value each year, institutions rely on:

• The actual cost of a full meal in the country concerned (meat, starches, vegetables, dessert, drink);
• Local market prices, which can change from one year to the next with inflation;
• Consultation with people working on the ground (charities, mosques) who know the beneficiaries’ real needs.

If prices rise or fall, the monetary value of this Zakat may be adjusted accordingly.

The amount is set on the basis of estimates from 3 associations working on the ground in Belgium.

The religious aim of satisfying hunger (al-ishba’) is amply met by the amounts we have received. The Sharia Advisory Committee therefore recommends a minimum of €7 per person, which guarantees a full and balanced meal; and more would be better.

According to the majority opinion, Zakat al-Fitr is intended exclusively for the poor and the needy within the Muslim community, so that they can celebrate Eid with dignity.

This is what sets it apart from Zakat al-Maal, which can be distributed to eight categories of beneficiaries. Zakat al-Fitr has a more targeted purpose: to make sure that no Muslim goes without food and joy on the day of Eid.

It is permitted – and even recommended – to hand your Zakat al-Fitr to Islamic charitable associations, which distribute it to the poor according to the information available to them.

Giving this Zakat to an institution fulfils two essential religious aims:

1. Preserving the dignity of the poor: the beneficiary receives help discreetly, without being directly confronted with the donor;
2. Fair distribution: the institution has an overview of the community’s needs and can allocate the funds in a fair and organised way.

In addition, paying institutions early allows them to organise the collection and distribution properly, ensuring that beneficiaries receive what is due to them in time for the festival.

According to the majority of scholars, the basic principle is that this alms must benefit the poor and needy of the country where the donor lives, in order to strengthen local solidarity.

Exception: the transfer may be permitted exceptionally, on the basis of a fatwa issued by competent scholars, where another Muslim country is going through a major disaster such as famine following a war or an earthquake; or when it is sent to a relative living abroad.

In Belgium, however, it remains strongly recommended to pay your Zakat al-Fitr locally, to trusted institutions that will redistribute it to Muslims in need in the country.