Why Zakat al-Fitr Was Prescribed - Hadith, book of Fasting
السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
All praise is due to Allah, the Most High, the Most Great. May blessings be upon our Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad ﷺ, and may Allah be pleased with all of the Companions.
Today we are sharing a topic: the wisdom behind the legislation of Zakat al-Fitr.
What Zakat al-Fitr Is
Zakat al-Fitr is the charity prescribed at the end of Ramadan upon breaking the fast. Every Muslim, male or female, young or old, free person or slave, is required to pay it.
In Sunan Abū Dāwūd, it is narrated from Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ prescribed Zakat al-Fitr upon every Muslim—whether free or enslaved, male or female, young or old—in the amount of one ṣāʿ ( صاع, a traditional measure of staple food) of dates or one ṣāʿ of barley.
According to Islamic law, the one who must pay Zakat al-Fitr is any person who, for himself and his dependents, possesses food for one day and one night and also has an extra one ṣāʿ of grain. Such a person must not only pay Zakat al-Fitr for himself, but also on behalf of his wife, children, and servants.
The Prescribed Amount
The legal amount of Zakat al-Fitr is one ṣāʿ of barley, or one ṣāʿ of wheat, or one ṣāʿ of dates, or one ṣāʿ of raisins, or one ṣāʿ of cheese, or one ṣāʿ of rice, or one ṣāʿ of corn, and similar food items.
Abū Ḥanīfah held that Zakat al-Fitr may be paid according to equivalent value, and that half a ṣāʿ of wheat may stand in place of one ṣāʿ of other food. According to the position of Abū Ḥanīfah, one ṣāʿ of food at that time is approximately equal to 3.8 kilograms in today’s measure.
In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, it is narrated from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (may Allah be pleased with him):
While the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was still among us, we used to give Zakat al-Fitr as one ṣāʿ on behalf of every adult and child, free person and slave: either wheat, cheese, barley, dates, or raisins. We continued doing so until Muʿāwiyah came for Ḥajj or ʿUmrah and addressed the people from the pulpit. Among the things he said was: “I hold that two mudd of wheat from al-Shām [that is, half a ṣāʿ] are equal to one ṣāʿ of dates.” After that, people adopted this ruling. Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī said: “As for me, so long as I live, I will always continue to practice according to the teaching of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”
Regarding the amount of Zakat al-Fitr, al-Shāfiʿī, Isḥāq, and other scholars held that the amount for every type of food is one ṣāʿ. Sufyān, Ibn al-Mubārak, and others held that every type of food is also one ṣāʿ, except for wheat, of which half a ṣāʿ is sufficient.
The Time for Paying Zakat al-Fitr
Concerning the legal time for paying Zakat al-Fitr, the jurists agreed that it should be given in the latter part of Ramadan, though they differed over the exact time.
Aḥmad, al-Shāfiʿī, and Isḥāq held that the legal time begins at sunset on the last day of Ramadan.
Abū Ḥanīfah, al-Layth, and Mālik held that the legal time begins at dawn on the day of ʿĪd al-Fiṭr.
As for a child born after sunset on the last day of Ramadan but before dawn on the Day of ʿĪd, whether Zakat al-Fitr must be paid for that child is a matter of disagreement. According to al-Shāfiʿī and other scholars, it is not obligatory, because the child was born outside the time in which Zakat al-Fitr becomes due. According to Abū Ḥanīfah and others, it is obligatory, because the child was born within the time in which it becomes due.
The jurists also held that it is permissible to give Zakat al-Fitr one or two days before ʿĪd. In the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections, it is narrated from Ibn ʿUmar that the Prophet ﷺ commanded that Zakat al-Fitr be given before the ʿĪd prayer. Nāfiʿ said that Ibn ʿUmar used to give Zakat al-Fitr one or two days before the festival.
Delaying It
The jurists agreed that Zakat al-Fitr, like a debt, is an obligation that must be fulfilled. Even if delayed until just before death, it still remains due. However, it is not permissible to delay it without excuse until after ʿĪd al-Fiṭr.
Some scholars held that it may be delayed until after ʿĪd. Aḥmad held that delayed payment is not a problem. Some scholars considered delaying Zakat al-Fitr to be unlawful. Delaying it, they said, is like failing to perform the prayer on time—it is sinful.
It is narrated in hadith that whoever pays Zakat al-Fitr before the ʿĪd prayer, it is an accepted zakat; but whoever pays it after the ʿĪd prayer, it is merely an ordinary charity.
Those Eligible to Receive It
Those eligible to receive Zakat al-Fitr are the same as those eligible to receive zakat in general. In Sūrat al-Tawbah, verse 60, Allah Most High says:
{إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاء وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِينَ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ فَرِيضَةً مِّنَ اللّهِ وَاللّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيم} [التوبة:60] 9:60 Alms-tax is only for the poor and the needy, for those employed to administer it, for those whose hearts are attracted ˹to the faith˺, for ˹freeing˺ slaves, for those in debt, for Allah’s cause, and for ˹needy˺ travellers. ˹This is˺ an obligation from Allah. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
Regarding those who may receive Zakat al-Fitr, Abū Ḥanīfah and other scholars held that it may also be given to non-Muslims living under Islamic protection.
In Sūrat al-Mumtaḥanah, verse 8, Allah, the Most High and Great, says:
{لاَ يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُم مِّن دِيَارِكُمْ أَن تَبَرُّوهُمْ وَتُقْسِطُوا إِلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِين} [الممتحنة:8]
60:8 Allah does not forbid you from dealing kindly and fairly with those who have neither fought nor driven you out of your homes. Surely Allah loves those who are fair.
The Wisdom Behind Its Legislation
Now let us gain a brief understanding of the wisdom behind the legislation of Zakat al-Fitr.
In Sunan Abū Dāwūd, it is narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās that the Prophet ﷺ prescribed Zakat al-Fitr for two reasons: first, to purify the fasting person from indecent and vain speech; and second, to provide food for the poor. Whoever gives it before the ʿĪd prayer, then it is a zakat accepted by Allah; and whoever gives it after the ʿĪd prayer, then it is merely a charity among charities.
From this hadith, it can be understood that the poor are the most entitled to receive Zakat al-Fitr, because part of its purpose is to feed them.
Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ spoke concerning the obligation of Zakat al-Fitr and said: “On this day, make the poor free from needing to ask by feeding them until they are satisfied.”
Through the hadith, we can clearly know the wisdom behind the prescription of Zakat al-Fitr: on the one hand, it is to cleanse the fasting person from evil and false speech; on the other hand, it is to provide for the poor.
Purifying the Heart
For the fasting person’s act of worship to be accepted by the Lord, there is not only the fast of the body, but also the fast of the heart. If a person lies during Ramadan, speaks obscenely, or utters falsehood, then his heart has not truly fasted.
How does one purify the heart? How does one cleanse the filth from the heart? There are two ways:
One is sincere seeking of forgiveness and repentance. The other is through charity.
In Sūrat al-Tawbah, verse 103, our Lord tells us:
{خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِم بِهَا وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ صَلاَتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَّهُمْ وَاللّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيم} [التوبة:103]
9:103 Take from their wealth ˹O Prophet˺ charity to purify and bless them, and pray for them—surely your prayer is a source of comfort for them. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
Those who fast and seek the blessing of Laylat al-Qadr pray to their Lord on that noble night, because the Prophet ﷺ taught people to say:
اللهم إنك عفو تحب العفو فاعف عني Allāhumma innaka ʿafuwwun tuḥibbu al-ʿafwa faʿfu ʿannī “O Allah, You are Most Forgiving, and You love forgiveness, so forgive me.”
Thus, the fasting person who seeks the blessing of the Noble Night includes, in his supplication on Laylat al-Qadr, a plea for Allah’s forgiveness. The Noble Night is the Night of Decree, so whoever seeks the favor decreed by the Lord will, in the last ten nights of Ramadan, seek the blessing of that Noble Night, ask the Lord’s forgiveness, and supplicate with the words taught by the Prophet ﷺ. In this way he gains one path by which the filth of the heart may be washed away: the path of seeking Allah’s forgiveness.
At the same time, our Prophet also taught us to give Zakat al-Fitr, and through giving Zakat al-Fitr the heart is purified and its impurities are washed away. Yet these two ways of purifying the heart and cleansing its impurity differ in their essence.
Charity and the Struggle Against Desire
Human beings have the nafs, the soul, life and its destined course, human nature, material desires, spiritual desires, and both an outward self-image and an inward self-image.
Because the nafs and soul are bound up with human desire and selfish inclination, a person must overcome these desires through righteous deeds. Among the clearest of righteous deeds is charity and helping others. In this way the soul is trained, so that it is not deceived by those things and appearances loved by human nature and does not surrender to desire because of them.
Thus, through charity and good deeds one struggles against selfish desire. For example: whether a person will fulfill the divine command of paying zakat, whether he will fulfill the prescribed Zakat al-Fitr, whether he will increase in charity—these all involve an inward struggle, a jihād against the nafs.
Seeking the pleasure of the Lord by fulfilling obligatory duties and increasing in recommended acts of charity means overcoming selfish desire, training the soul, and purifying it. Training the soul so that one does not let one’s words and actions follow desire, and so that one does not act merely as one pleases, is itself part of cultivating the heart.
The human nafs truly does have human weakness. Because of that, many times a person follows selfish desire, is overcome by human weakness, becomes heedless, forgetful, falls into error, and commits sins. At times, one even follows the footsteps of Satan and sins. During Ramadan, our Lord has restrained the devils. So if one becomes heedless, forgetful, makes mistakes, and sins during Ramadan, then one has followed personal desire and been overcome by human weakness. Therefore one must sincerely seek forgiveness from the Lord and repent.
When a servant’s mistakes—even sins—are erased, then he is purified, and the heart within the soul enters a state of repentance, return, and inward turning to Allah. Therefore seeking forgiveness and repentance is one path for purifying the heart.
So charity and seeking forgiveness are two different methods of cultivating the heart. These two methods are:
One is to turn to the Lord with a repentant heart and a sorrowful heart, hoping that one’s sins may be erased. The other is to seek the pleasure of the Lord through righteous deeds, to overcome human desire, and not to let the heart be ruled by selfish passions, but rather, by remembering the Lord, to live under the mastery of the Lord who nurtures, and not to follow one’s whims.
Why Even Children and Infants Are Included
If a fasting person seeks forgiveness from the Lord during Ramadan and also pays Zakat al-Fitr, then the impurities of the heart may be washed away and the heart purified. But what is the wisdom in requiring even children and infants, who are not yet accountable, to have Zakat al-Fitr paid on their behalf?
First, it should be understood that Ramadan is the noblest of months because it contains Laylat al-Qadr. In it, the Lord sends down decrees for the creatures on earth, and sends guidance for humankind and jinn. Because Ramadan contains the Night of Decree, in which sustenance and guidance are sent down, our Lord guides humanity to seek the decreed blessings of both this world and the Hereafter.
Every person hopes that the provision allotted to him will be blessed and increased. Every parent likewise hopes that the provision granted to his children will be blessed and increased.
On the Noble Night, the angels have already received the records of the sustenance that will descend in the coming year for the creatures on earth, and the provision needed by the creatures on earth continues to descend. When people pay Zakat al-Fitr—giving it before the ʿĪd prayer on the day of ʿĪd—there is in this an expression of the servant’s gratitude to the Lord for sending provision. In remembering the Lord, the servant acknowledges that he has received sustenance. Charity, then, is part of seeking the blessing of increase by becoming a grateful servant.
When the servant pays Zakat al-Fitr before the ʿĪd prayer, he gives thanks and praise to the Lord who nurtures him, thanking the Lord for sending provision.
Giving from One’s Provision
The Prophet’s Zakat al-Fitr was given in the form of staple food, because food is the clearest sign of provision.
Thus, when Zakat al-Fitr is paid before the ʿĪd prayer, the servant uses his own provision as a clear testimony, paying Zakat al-Fitr as thanks and praise for the Lord’s nurturing care. By giving Zakat al-Fitr before the prayer, the servant remembers the blessing of the Lord’s nurturing, gives thanks and praise, and at the same time seeks blessing in his provision.
The one responsible for the household’s financial expenses pays Zakat al-Fitr on behalf of all the members of his family, thereby seeking blessing in the provision of the whole family and seeking increase in their sustenance.
The Lord who nurtures is the Lord of reward, and He has declared:
‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more. But if you are ungrateful, surely My punishment is severe.’ — Sūrat Ibrāhīm, verse 7
Whoever hopes that his own provision and the provision of those under his care will be blessed and increased should pay Zakat al-Fitr. Whoever does not pay Zakat al-Fitr is ungrateful, and neither his own provision nor the provision of those under his care will have blessing.
A Final Reflection
Zakat al-Fitr is a legislated charity. Whoever does not pay it has failed to remember the Lord of Decree and failed to thank the Lord who nurtures. Such a person’s own provision and the provision of those under his care in the coming year will have no blessing. If provision lacks blessing, then the life of the coming year will also lack blessing, and the life of the family he maintains will likewise be without blessing.
Finally, we ask our Lord to guide us to seek forgiveness and repent, and to aid us in giving charity and doing righteous deeds.
All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all worlds. May Allah send blessings and grace upon Muhammad, upon his family, upon his descendants, and upon those who follow his path.
السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
Qur’an translation source: The Clear Qur’an — Dr. Mustafa Khattab.
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