The Muslim should thank Allah for the gifts He bestowed upon him and cooperate with the people and share them in their feelings. So he must pay the zakah, lend to the needy, and help in charitable projects in order not to receive the punishment stated in the Qur’anic verse: And there are those who bury gold and silver and spend it not in the Way of Allah: announce unto them a most grievous penalty. On the Day when heat will be produced out of that (wealth) in the fire of Hell, and with it will be branded their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs, "This is the (treasure) which ye buried for yourselves: taste ye, then, the (treasures) ye buried! (At-Tawbah: 34-35)
There are essential differences between zakat al-mal [the compulsory zakah] and zakat al-fitr.
Zakat al-mal relates, as its name implies, to the saved money; however, zakat al-fitr is paid by the head of the household on behalf of the family members. Also zakat al-mal is to be paid when the savings reach the prescribed value, which is equal to 20 mithqals of gold and 200 dirhams of silver. There is no fixed nisab for zakat al-fitr, but it is to paid by the person who has one day's meals and the members of his family on the eve of `Eid Al-Fitr. Besides, zakat al-mal can be paid at any time of the year as long as the nisab remains in one’s possession for one year. Zakat al-fitr must be paid by the person who witnesses part of the month of Ramadan and part of the month of Shawwal.
On the other hand, the amount of zakt al-mal is a fourth of a tenth, i.e., 2.5 per cent of one’s wealth. But the amount of zakat al-fitr is two qadahs (an old measure) of rice or wheat or other usual food known in the area or their equivalent.
The evidence of the above is the hadith recorded in the two authentic books of Hadith (namely Al-Bukhari and Muslim), and reported by Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): "The Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) prescribed zakat al-fitr as one saa` (an old measurement) of dates or wheat on every person whether male or female from among the Muslims." In another authentic hadith, the Messenger of Allah is reported to have ordered that zakat al-fitr be paid out before going to the `Eid Prayer. This is done with a view to make all Muslims feel happy in that day.
It goes without saying that zakat al-mal expresses the state of richness and satisfaction of the person who gives the zakah, as it is to be paid by the well-to-do people. On the contrary, zakat al-fitr must be paid by both the rich and poor. Therefore, the poor should pay the zakah on behalf of his household in order to make him pay the zakah as he used to receive it from the rich. In addition, the purpose of the poor paying zakat al-fitr is to help them get the reward promised by Allah for zakah on an equal footing with the rich. This, in turn, is to encourage them and honor their dignity. This is considered a great wisdom that cannot be found in any other religion or man-made system.
The Muslim is supposed to pay Zakat al-Fitr (i.e., Zakah of breaking the fast) in the country where he or she spends the first night of the month of Shawwal. The reason for this is that Zakat al-Fitr is not paid because of fasting, rather it is paid due to breaking the fast; that is why it is named Zakat al-Fitr. That is why if a person dies before Maghrib on the last day of Ramadan, Zakat al-Fitr would not be obligatory upon him even if he fasted all the other days of the month.
Conversely, if a child is born after Maghrib on the last day of Ramadan, i.e. the first night of Shawwal, it would be obligatory to pay Zakat al-Fitr on his or her behalf. This view is unanimously agreed upon by Muslim scholars.
Moreover, Zakat al-Fitr is associated with the `Eid and is meant to create happiness in such a way that includes the poor and the needy. That is why the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Make them (i.e. the poor) rich on this day (i.e. the day of `Eid."
Dr. Muhammad Ahmad Al-Musayyar, Professor of Islamic Creed, Faculty of Theology at Al-Azhar University
