Ramadan 2024 #20 Everything About Zakat Al-Fitr

And some people, subhanAllah,

fast throughout the year because they don't have

suhoor and iftar.

So the day of Reel should be a

day in which, alhamdulillah

and insha Allah, nobody from the believers fast.

Let's call it say, generally, asa refers to

2 hands together. 2 hands, not large hands,

not small hands, but

hands that are average.

What you place in these hands

that is part and parcel of the measure.

Now in terms of grams and kilograms because

that's how we work today. We don't work

with a soah. We don't work with this

unit of measure, this volume.

We begin in the name of Allah Subhanahu

Wa Ta'ala and we request praises and blessings

upon

Rasulullah. Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. To my brothers and

sisters in Islam, salamu alaykum wa Rahmatuhu Barakatuh.

May Allah's peace, may His blessings, may His

safety, may His mercy

be upon you all.

Welcome to another

episode in our Ramadan

series.

I am going to share with you a

topic that you normally

usually hear towards the end of Ramadan. And

that is sadaqatul fitr or zakat al fitr.

And the reason why I am sharing it

with you now is so that before the

last 10 nights, insha'Allah,

you have knowledge about this because,

there are some rules pertaining to it,

that entail,

it being preserved.

And sometimes we miss these rules because we

become busy with the last 10 nights of

Ramadan

and then SubhanAllah becomes

a worry for us towards the end of

Ramadan.

Sadakatul Fitr and Zakatul Fitr is from the

acts of worship of Ramadan. And our scholars

have said that the wisdom

for this act of worship is to purify

our month from any mistakes

that may have been committed therein, any sins

that may have

been committed therein, any flaws with our fast

or our standing during the night of Ramadan

that may have been committed

therein. So, alhamdulillah, this is an added

extra

avenue and means for expiation that Allah Subhanahu

Wa Ta'ala brings to us. Now,

I'm going to start at the point that

many people miss and that is the fact

that this sadaqa, this Zakatul Firtur has to

be given

before the Eid prayer.

After the Eid prayer, it's a general sadaqa.

It's not sadaqaatul fitr. We would have missed

this Ibadah in worship of Ramadan.

It has to be given before the Eid

prayer and it can be given a day

or 2 before the Eid prayer as was

the practice of some of the Sahaba, Rabi'Allahu

Anhu ajma'in. So Alhamdulillah,

there is that leeway for us to ensure

that we

complete this act in the best way

before the day of Eid. Because sometimes we

may be super busy in different circumstances. Maybe

we're hosting families for Eid and we're just

very very busy.

And

before we know it, the Eid prayer comes

and goes and we haven't managed to do

it. So, alhamdulillah, there is that leeway to

get it done a day or 2 before

Ramadan

ends. Now, sadaqatul fitr is

something

designated to the poor and the needy. And

also from the wisdoms of this is to

allow them to have a day of Eid.

They may usually be hungry throughout the year.

And some people, subhanAllah,

they fast throughout the year because they don't

have suhoor and iftar.

Right? So the day of Eid should be

a day in which alhamdulillah

and insha'Allah,

nobody from the believers fasts.

So as you celebrate,

other people as well

can celebrate that they can eat as well.

And the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam stipulated

zakatul fitr or sadaqatul fitr

And he also stipulated the amount that it

is a saa. Now the saa is a

measurement found in Islamic jurisprudence

and it represents a unit of

volume.

That is why

there's differences in terms of the scholars' understanding

of what a soah represents

in terms of KGs and grams. That is

natural because if you measure something based on

a volume,

then the weight will differ based on what

you put inside that measure

that unit that measures things as a unit

of volume. Okay? So, the Prophet sallallahu alaihi

wasallam used to cup his hands together and

he would

give a person sadaqatul fitr.

And this is a matter connected to volume

not amount because he wasn't particularly

weighing the amount. It was whatever could be

captured in his hands, sallallahu alaihi wasallam. That's

why the scholars say generally asa refers to

2 hands together that you

can Or 2 hands, not large hands, not

small hands,

but hands that are average.

What you place in

these hands that is part and parcel of

the measure, that is part and parcel of

this volume, this saw. And

at his time, predominantly wheat was given and

that is why some of the scholars would

say that sadaqatul fitr is a soa, is

this volume of

wheat.

However,

another opinion exists and this is the preferred

opinion across the madahib and of Islamic scholarship

that

sodakatul fitr is connected to the staple diet

of a place that it is being given

in. That is why sometimes this question is

asked.

Can I pay sadaqatul fitr abroad or should

I pay it locally?

And the answer to that question is

sadaqaatul fitr is best paid where your body

is. Meaning where you are celebrating

it. Right? Whilst zakah, your normal zakah, is

best paid where your wealth actually is, where

the poor can see your wealth. But on

the day of Eid, this is sadaqaatul fitr.

It should be paid where your body is.

Where people see you celebrating and they can

smile as well because they will get that

zakatul fitr or zakatul fitr. And they will

also be able to feed themselves and their

family on that day and have a day

of happiness. Now, in terms of grams and

kilograms, because that's how we work today, we

don't work with a so'ah. We don't work

with this unit of measure, this volume.

Then, to be safe, it's between 2.53

kilos. 2.53

kilos to be safe. Some of our scholars

said if you're giving rice, then

it's 2,100

grams or 2.1 kilograms s. But again, because

rice is obviously a staple in many countries,

But in some countries it isn't. Some countries

the staple is lentils. If you give them

rice, they're not going to have a deal

of it. They might not even know how

to cook the rice or even eat the

rice. And I've seen this myself

during my visit to

a country. So,

the staple diet and to be safe, to

be safe, a ballpark figure between 2.53

KGs, alhamdulillah,

you take care of this. And alhamdulillah, if

Allah has given you financial standing and material

well-being, there's no impact on your budget between

2.53

kilos. But if things are difficult for you,

then use 2.5 to be safe as a

base figure and connect it to the staple.

Now, on this topic of staple versus cash,

because people ask this question as well,

the majority of the scholars say that sadaqatul

fitr should be given in kind not in

cash. In kind not in cash. A minority

of scholars say it can be given

in cash

as long as you know that the poor

or the needy receiving it won't abuse it.

It won't be used for haram. The reason

why the majority say it should be given

in kind, not cash, because the prophet, salallahu

alaihi wa sallam, would distribute it as food.

He would distribute it in kind.

But this should be a matter that you

shouldn't be too concerned about. You should just

go back to the scholars of the country

that you are in and seek from them

their fatwa on this matter. Seek from them

their fatwa on this matter because they are

responsible for the Islamic affairs of the place

that you live in. And alhamdulillahrubbaalamin

this is the guidance from Allah upon you.

He says,

Ask your people of knowledge

in Kuntumlata alamun if you don't know. So

what I've shared with you is general knowledge,

but do go to them and ask them

if it can be given in cash or

it has to be given in kind and

follow their guidance. So this is a quick

fire FAQ

episode

on sadaqaatul fitr. So be sure, my dear

brothers and sisters in Islam, to

distribute your sadaqaatul fitr, your zakatul fitr. They're

both the same thing. They're interchangeable terms before

the Eid prayer. Insha'Allah.

Right? And hopefully this will

reduce

or this episode, I hope, will reduce the

amount of questions

we get from people who, subhanAllah,

through one event or another, miss giving

their zakatul fitr or sadakatul fitr before their

Eid prayer. Dish it out before the Eid

prayer and be a means of the happiness

of others. And also, let it be a

means of your Ramadan being expiated

before the final moment of Ramadan which is

that Eid prayer. Yes, Ramadan ends the night

before and

the Eid happens the next day but there

is this prize giving that Allah

carries out. He showers upon us the rewards

of our month. So let those rewards reach

us without any obstacle. Sadakatul Fitr removes the

obstacles. So distribute it before the Eid pray.

Allah. Until next time. Assalamu alaykum.

Allah. Until next time. Assalamu alaykum.