Frequently Asked Questions on Zakat Al-Fitrah

Frequently Asked Questions on Zakat Al-Fitrah according to the Fatwas of Ayatollahs Khamenei, Sistani, Makarem Shirazi and Hakeem.

Ayatollah Sistani’s Fatwas:

1. What is Zakatul Fitrah?

A: It is religious tax/alms (zakat) paid on the day when Muslims break the fasting period at the end of the month of Ramadan. This alm is known as Zakat al-Fitrah.

 

1. When does Fitrah become wajib?
2. Payment of Fitrah becomes obligatory after sunset on the eve of Eid al- Fitr. The Fitrah should be kept aside and paid on Eid al-Fitr before Eid prayers or before midday for those who cannot say their Eid prayers. It is necessary to have obligatory intention (niyyah) of giving Fitrah for God’s pleasure only.
3. What happens if someone forgets or does not give Fitrah on time?
4. If one does not give out or set aside the Fitrah within the due time, he should give the Fitrah later, on the basis of precaution, without making the niyyah of adaa or qadhaa but only Qurbatan Ilallah.
5. Can we give Fitrah in advance?
6. Giving Fitrah before the eve of Eid al-Fitr is not permissible. However, if you wish to send Fitrah earlier so that it reaches the needy on time, then you can send it as a temporary loan to the needy and then change your intention from loan to Fitrah on the eve of Eid al-Fitr.
7. To whom is Fitrah obligatory?
8. Paying Fitrah is obligatory on every Muslim who is mature (baligh), sane, financially able, and conscious on the eve of Eid al-Fitr. Fitrah should also be paid on behalf of all dependents (e.g. wife, children) whom one supports financially.
9. When is a host required to pay Fitrah for his guest?
10. If a person invites another person to his house on the eve of Eid al-Fitr and if the guest is present at the host’s place at the time of the sunset then it is obligatory for the host to pay Fitrah for his guest.
11. What happens if the guest arrives after the sunset on Eid night?
12. In this case the guest will pay his/her own Fitrah and it is not obligatory on the host to pay Fitrah for the guest.
13. What happens if a guest comes uninvited and is present at the time of the sunset on the eve of Eid al-Fitr?
14. Ayatollah Sistani says that the host should still pay the Fitrah as an obligatory precaution. However, late Ayaollah Sayyid al-Khui was of the opinion that is recommended for the host to pay Fitrah of an uninvited guest.
15. How much should we pay for Fitrah?
16. Fitrah for a person is given on a weight of three kilograms (one sa`a) on any food commodity like wheat, barley, rice, millet, raisins or dates. Ayatollah Sistani is of the opinion that the item that is not a staple food in your town should not be given in Fitrah. Say, for example, if millet is not a staple in Vancouver then Vacouver mumineen should not pay Fitrah on millet.
17. Can we give cash value of any commodity mentioned above?
18. Yes, cash value in lieu of any foodstuff mentioned can be given as Fitrah. Thus, if a kilo of rice costs $2.00, the cash value of Fitrah on rice per person would be $6.00. We recommend, Fitrah on basmati rice to be Canadian Dollars 7.00 for residents of Canada and US Dollars 6.00 for US residents. (Please check prices for other items in your areas.)
19. Whom should we give the Fitrah to?
20. It is given to the needy who are unable to meet their own or their dependants annual living expenses, nor do they have the means to do so through earning. Ayatollah Sistani says that the needy who is given the fitrah must be a Shi`ah Ithna `Ashari.
21. Who should not be given the Fitrah?
22. A needy who: consumes alcohol, does not say his daily prayers (salat), commits sins openly, or he who is known to use the Fitrah in sinful way.
23. Are there any additional rules that we need to be aware of?
24. Following are some important rules:

(i) Fitrah should not be sent outside the town one resides in, if there are deserving mumineen (believers) in that town.

(ii) Fitrah from a non-Sayyed cannot be given to a needy Sayyed; the reverse is permissible.

(iii) A needy should be given at least one Fitrah

(iv) Amongst the needy, relatives should be preferred over others when giving Fitrah, next in line are neighbors and then the learned.

Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi’s Fatwas  

1. If a person is unconscious at sunset of the day before Eid al-Fitr then is he/she exempt f r o m paying Zakat al-Fitrah?
2. Unconsciousness doesn’t cause exemption f r o m Zakat al-Fitrah.

1. Who should pay Zakat al-Fitrah of a soldier who is serving military duty for the government?

It is not obligatory for government to pay and if the soldier is poor then he is not obliged to pay, either; but if he is not poor then it is a precaution for him to pay his Zakat al-Fitrah himself.

1. Who should pay Zakat al-Fitrah of a soldier who is serving military duty for the government?
2. It is not obligatory for government to pay and if the soldier is poor then he is not obliged to pay, either; but if he is not poor then it is a precaution for him to pay his Zakat al-Fitrah himself.

1. If a person is a guest of another only at the night of Eid al-Fitr then is Zakat al-Fitrah on him/her or the host?
2. Zakat al-Fitrah is on guest himself/herself.

1. If a person is unconscious at sunset of the day before Eid al-Fitr then is he/she exempt f r o m paying Zakat al-Fitrah?
2. Unconsciousness doesn’t cause exemption f r o m Zakat al-Fitrah.

1. Is Zakat al-Fitrah of students, who have their food in domestic or abroad universities, upon university or themselves?
2. According to the fact that students buy food, although with very cheap price, they should pay their Zakat al-Fitrah themselves or the persons who pay their costs should pay that.

1. I wanted to know that if Zakat al-Fitrah applies on fetus with soul in mother’s womb or not and should we put a thing aside for his/her Zakat al-Fitrah of the month of Ramadan or not.
2. Zakat of Fitr is not obligatory for fetus in mother’s womb.

1. Is Zakat al-Fitrah of workers, who work in institutes and factories, upon institutes and factories or workers themselves?
2. Workers should pay Zakat al-Fitrah themselves, considering that in these cases, feeding is included in their salary.

1. I was the guest of a person five nights before Eid al-Fitr. I broke my fasting at the night of Eid at my home and I was his guest again for some other nights. Who should pay my Zakat al-Fitrah?
2. It is upon you; but it is a precaution to take your host’s permission for paying this Zakat al-Fitrah.

1. How much is the minimum number of days and nights for a person to be the guest of another person in order to be considered as his/her dependant?
2. Four to five days is enough.
3. Who should pay Zakat of Fitr of missionaries who travel to cities, towns and villages and mostly stay at the house of one of residents but they are being invited to the house of one of the people of the place every night for Iftar?
4. Their Zakat al-Fitrah is upon nobody, except that they stay some nights of the end of the month of Ramadan in the same place, but if they have their dawn food always at one place then the owner of that place should pay missionary’s Zakat al-Fitrah.

1. Who should pay Zakat al-Fitrah of government clerks, whether in public or private sector?
2. It is upon the clerks themselves.

1. If host is Muqallid of your highness who doesn’t consider Zakat al-Fitrah of a person, who has been the guest only at the night of Eid, upon the host and the guest is Muqallid of another Marja’ who considers Zakat al-Fitrah of such person upon the host then who should pay Zakat al-Fitrah of the guest?
2. In the conditions of the question, it is upon none of them.

Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamene’s Fatwas 

1. What would be Paid as Zakat al-Fitra?
   A. It is not necessary to pay the most consumed food as Zakat al-Fitra; rather it suffices to give wheat, barely, date, rice and the like.

Q. Who Should pay Fiṭrah of a ‘Rebellious’ Wife?
A. Fiṭrah of a ‘rebellious’ wife is to be paid by her husband unless her maintenance is being paid by someone else.

Q. Who should pay Fitrah of a person who is guest at the night before Eid of Fiṭr?
A. Fiṭrah of a person, who is a guest only the night before Eid of Fiṭr, is not paid by the host.

Q. if the guest paying his/her Fiṭrah, should host pay his/her Fitrah again?
A. If a guest – who is considered as the host’s dependant – pays his own fiṭrah with the permission of host and on his behalf, it ceases to be obligatory for the host to pay.

Q. Should we pay Zakat al-Fitrah our own children?

A. If the children are poor, their expenses are to be paid by their parents and the parents cannot give them fiṭrah zakat to spend on their necessary life expenditure, but it is no problem to spend it on repaying their debts or the expenses which are not the parent’s duty to pay for.

• On which to spend Zakat al-Fitrah?
  A. Zakat al-Fitrah is spent on the same area as zakat of property. However, there is a caution to give it only to poor people of the same locality, if any.

 

Ayatollah Sayyed Muhammad Saeed Hakeem’s Fatwas 

1. Is Zakat al-Fitrah obligatory on someone whose income can meet his annual needs?

This Zakat is obligatory even on those whose income cannot meet his annual expenses.

1. For those that have a Sayyeda mother, but whose father is not a Sayyed, are they permitted to collect Zakat of Eidul-Fitr?

They are not considered as Hashemite, so they are permitted to collect Zakat al-Fitrah. The Zakat of non-Hashemite cannot be given to a needy Hashemite.