Items and limit...

Items and limit: The items to be considered in Zakat include gold, silver, agricultural products such as wealth, goats, and sheep when there are up to the stipulated amount but the items used for Zakat al-Fitr are the staple food. Amount to be given: The amount given in Zakat varies based on the amount of wealth but the amount to be given for Zakat al-Fitr is the same for all.

Timing: The time to give Zakat depends on the Zakat year of such a person and this varies from one person to another, but the time for Zakat al-Fitr is after the completion of the Ramadan fast. Who are to pay Zakat al-Fitr? Zakat al-Fitr is compulsory for every adult and conscious person who is neither poor nor a slave. It is required of the head of the family to give it out on behalf of himself as well as on behalf of all those who are dependent on him [2] .

By the verdict of the Islamic Jurists, the payment of Zakat al-Fitr is not compulsory for a needy person who cannot meet his own expenses [3] . However, for someone who has 3 Kg of staple food (such as wheat, rice, etc.) or its equivalent value, it is permissible (mustahabb) for him to pay it as Zakat al-Fitr.

And if he has some dependent (s) in his family, he may circulate it among his family members with the intention of Zakat al-Fitr and it is preferable that the last member of the family gives it to an individual that does not belong to the same family. For a guest who comes to one’s home on the night before Eid al-Fitr, paying for his zakat al-Fitr is not the duty of the host.

However, in the case where the guest is considered the host’s dependent if he pays his own zakat al-Fitr with the permission of his host, the host is released from paying it [4] . If the wife is dependent on her husband, the husband should pay his and her zakat al-Fitr provided that he can afford it. Anyhow, if the wife is neither dependent on her husband nor any other person, she should pay her zakat al-Fitr herself.

Meanwhile, in case the wife does not yield to her husband’s sexual needs, her husband is not exempted from paying her zakat al-Fitr, unless she is dependent on another person. Furthermore, If the head of the family -who is supposed to pay- does not pay zakat al-Fitr for his wife and children. They have no duty. They are not required to pay zakat al-Fitr on their own.

Time for Zakat al-Fitr When the sighting of the new moon in the month of Shawwal is established, one can separate the Zakat al-Fitr.