Fidya, Kaffara and Zakat al-Fitra

Is “one” zakat al-fitra amount to be allocated to one beneficiary? Or can it be given to more than one beneficiary?  If the UK fitra value is £6 and the value in the beneficiary’s country is £3, do we give £6 to one beneficiary or can we give it to two separate beneficiaries?

Answer: Each (mukallaf) duty-bound person must pay the equivalent of 3kg of staple food or its value based on the country/city in which he/she is paying. So, in the UK, for e.g., it is £6 for this year. Although, if the duty-bound makes someone as his agent to pay zakat al-fitra on his behalf, say in Dar-es-Salaam, then the rate to be paid would be the local DSM rate. Therefore, the criteria for paying is the prevalent value in the place of payment of the fitra. This is how much is wajib on each person to pay.

As for the receiving person, it is permissible for a beneficiary to be given lesser than the value of 3kg in zakat al-fitra, though the recommended precaution is to pay the minimum full value of 3kg unless the numbers of deserving recipients exceed the available funds. This applies whether the needy person is in the same country as the duty-bound person who has paid the zakat al-fitra or not.

So, if the needy is in the UK, for example, it is possible to pay £3 to the deserving beneficiary even though it is less than the fitra rate of £6.

On the other hand, if the money is transferred abroad and each 3kg of staple food is £3 there, it is possible to give the remaining £3 of the original fitra to another needy, without having to return it to the original payer of the zakat al-fitra.

In another scenario, if there is 15 kg worth of zakat al-fitra, and the number of needy beneficiaries is 30, it is permissible to give 0.5kg to each.

What is the minimum wajib to be paid in kaffara?

Answer: In kaffara, the minimum wajib is either:

• to give 750 grams of food (either cooked or raw) to each beneficiary (whether or not they become satiated and full with it or not). Although, it is mustahab to give 1.5 kg per needy beneficiary (i.e. two portions).
• or to prepare a full meal of cooked food for the 60 beneficiaries to consume until they are full, regardless of whether each person eats less than 750 grams of food or more to become full, with the criteria here being the beneficiaries becoming full. Although, it is better for them to be fed twice, in the daytime and the evening.

Furthermore, one cannot feed thirty people twice; so, there must be 60 individuals. However, a head of household can receive more than one meal based on the number of people in his household, including minors. So, if they are a family of 5 people, he can receive five portions.

When someone gives his zakat al-fitra to Jamaat at the local rate, does the Jamaat have to get consent or inform the person that their fitra will be sent overseas? 

Answer: The Jamaat gets implicit wikalat (agency) to disburse as deemed fit per shari’a requirements, so no further consent, or giving information to the payer of fitra is required, that his fitra will be for local or overseas needy. If the duty-bound person paying zakat al-fitra wishes to specify where they would like their fitra to be spent on their behalf, then they must explicitly communicate it to the Jamaat, whereby the latter will have the discretion to accept the extra responsibility or not.

If the fitra collected is intended to be sent abroad where the rate is different, does the payer of zakat al-fitra have to be notified to pay the different rate abroad? 

Answer: By implication, considering that The World Federation of KSIMC is a global charitable body, the donor implicitly knows that the recipients can be local or overseas; so, either he can pay to the local Jamaat or Regional Federation at the local rate or allow The WF to disburse as appropriate by Shari’a requirements.

Is fidya the giving of 750 grams of staple food to the deserving or can we provide the beneficiaries cooked meals till they are full instead?

Answer: Fidya is to give 750 grams of staple food (cooked or raw) to one beneficiary per day of fast missed for one of six reasons. A duty-bound person cannot instead offer a cooked meal for the beneficiary to consume until they are full. Rather 750 grams of staple food must be offered to them. Furthermore, the value of the 750 grams of staple food cannot be given either, and one must offer the actual food instead.

Is delaying delivery of zakat al-fitra, kaffara and fidya in order? Are there deadlines in this matter? 

Answer: Zakat-Fitra should be delivered as feasible, and as soon as possible, even if this may be after the day of Eid, because what is wajib is for the duty-bound person to either physically allocate it aside (either in cash or staple food and say this is my fitra, qurbatan ilallah, which I will give to the first deserving needy I find) or to pay it in the fitra boxes in the centres on the day of Eid al-Fitr. However, as for the distribution (by organizations), it can be delayed until the deserving needy can be found, or the fitra can be delivered to them, considering the logistical factors. As for kaffara and fidya, they are not as strictly time-bound; although, they shouldn’t be unreasonably delayed.

We sometimes have needy families whose members are mixed between Shia and non-Shia (Muslim and non-Muslim); so can we provide them from zakat al-fitra?

Answer: Zakat al-fitra, kaffara and fidya can only be given to Shia recipients as per (ihtiyat wajib) obligatory precaution. In addition, the Shia recipient should not be an open sinner, alcohol consumer, one who shuns daily salat or someone who may spend it for sinful purposes. However, mustahab sadaqa and charity can be given to non-Shia recipients, if they do not have enmity towards Islam and the school of Ahlul Bayt (a).

If a person were to pay Zakat al-Fitra that is more than the amount announced by the charity organisation with a wikala from the Marja’ or the representative of the Marja’, will their zakat al-fitra be valid?

Answer: If a person wishes to pay more than the announced sum, then there are two scenarios:

1. They pay the fitra in cash, or in physical 3kg of staple food:

If they pay this higher sum in cash, they should ensure that the funds they pay are equal to 3kg of another type of staple food in their country (such as dates in Arab countries, bread or boneless meat etc.), which would be more expensive than the cost of the announced zakat al-fitra, which normally takes a cheaper staple food as its basis, like rice.

However, if the mukallaf just randomly wants to pay an extra amount without taking the aforementioned mas’ala into account, then:

1. they must use such cash in change that ensures that the value of the zakaat al-fitra (e.g. £6 for 1445 AH) is separate (by using a £5 note and a one-pound coin, for example), and the extra amount is in separate change.

2. they should also intend that the value of the announced cost of zakat al-fitra is their fitra payment, and the extra is mustahab sadaqa.

Although, to avoid confusion, it is better for them to pay the announced rate of fitra in the fitra box, and separately pay any mustahab sadaqa in the allocated sadaqa boxes.

If they pay a higher amount of kgs in physical staple food, e.g., 5kg., then they should ensure that the 3kg are separated in terms of the vessel they are given in (such as the carrier bag). Then, they should give 3kg. with the intention of it being fitra, and the 2kg. as a mustahab sadaqa.

Although to avoid confusion, again, it is better for the extra 2kg. to be put with the sadaqa items and clearly marked as such.

2. They pay electronically through a bank transfer:

In this scenario, the funds transferred to the charity or the deserving needy directly, should be exactly equivalent to 3kg. of another higher-priced staple food, as mentioned before.

Otherwise, the mukallaf should transfer:

– Funds equivalent to the announced rate (£6 for 1445 AH, by The WF) to be counted as their zakat al-Fitra,

– Whatever extra they wish to transfer (e.g. £5 extra) to be intended as sadaqa and paid in the sadaqa section.

If someone has qadha fidya from last year’s Shahr Ramadan, can they pay based on the upcoming Shahr Ramadhan’s prices?

Answer:
The rate for fidya should be based on the year of the payment (i.e. the actual current price).

If someone wants to pay fidya for missed fasts from last Shahr Ramadhan even before the upcoming Ramadan commences, can they pay this in advance, in Rajab for example? E.g., if they know that their medical condition will continue till then. And if so, should they make a certain intention?

Answer:
The fidya for anyone who has missed fasts from Shahr Ramadhan should be paid when the next Shahr Ramadhan commences, because during the period between these two Shahr Ramadhans they must try to fast qadha.

The exceptions to this are an elderly person, for whom fasting is either unbearably difficult (haraj), or not possible at all (ta’adhur); or a person who suffers from an illness that makes them very thirsty (dhu al-ʿuṭāsh) due to which they cannot bear being thirsty, or that it is excessively difficult for them to bear it. Such persons can pay the fidya for not fasting, as soon as Shahr Ramadhan starts. So, for eg., as soon as Shahr Ramadhan 1445 AH starts they may pay the fidya for not being able to fast, without having to wait till Shahr Ramadhan 1446 AH.