Give Fitra with Food Items to Follow the Sunnah; Not with Money

 

Give Fitra with Food Items to Follow the Sunnah; Not with Money

▬▬▬▬◆◈◆ ▬▬▬▬

Question:

Is it Sunnah to give Zakat al-Fitr (Fitra) in the form of money or food items?

Answer:

The hadith explicitly mentions giving Fitra in the form of food items. During the time of the Prophet ﷺ, gold and silver coins (Dinar and Dirham) were in circulation, yet there is no record of Fitra being given in monetary form instead of food.

What are the prescribed food items and their quantities for Fitra?

The answer is clearly stated in authentic hadiths. In summary, it is Sunnah to give Fitra in the form of dates, barley, raisins, cheese, or the staple food of the region—not money. Each individual must give one Sā' of Fitra, which is equivalent to four full handfuls of an average person. [Fatawa Masail, Maulana Abdullahil Kafi, Pages 172-173]. In weight, this is not less than 2.5 kg.

Ibn Umar (RA) narrated:
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ made Zakat al-Fitr obligatory—one Sā' of dates or one Sā' of barley—upon every Muslim, whether slave or free, male or female, young or old. And he commanded that it be given before the people go out to pray (Eid Salah)." [Bukhari, Hadith No. 1503 / Muslim No. 2275]

This hadith mentions two food items—dates and barley—that were used for Fitra during the time of the Prophet ﷺ.

Now, consider another hadith:
Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (RA) said:
"During the time of the Prophet ﷺ, we used to give Zakat al-Fitr as one Sā' of food, or one Sā' of barley, or one Sā' of dates, or one Sā' of cheese, or one Sā' of raisins." [Bukhari 1506 / Muslim 2281]

This hadith mentions additional food items besides dates and barley, such as raisins, cheese, and staple food.

It is also worth mentioning that after the Prophet ﷺ's passing, during the Caliphate of Mu'awiyah (RA), some people started giving Fitra in wheat. [Bukhari 1508 / Muslim 2281]

What should we do?

If we truly want to follow the Sunnah, we should give Fitra in the staple food of our society, such as rice. Giving money instead of food, or using the money to buy clothes, meat, sugar, oil, lentils, spices, or vermicelli, is against the Sunnah.

However, in extreme circumstances, some scholars have permitted giving Fitra in monetary form. For example, if someone urgently needs money for medical treatment and selling the given food would cause a delay and worsen their condition, then giving the equivalent amount in money may be permissible. This is an exceptional case.

Therefore, our duty is to give food items as Fitra. If someone refuses to accept food, we should find a recipient who is willing to take it.

The Reality of Our Society

Unfortunately, the practice of giving food as Fitra has almost disappeared among Hanafi communities in our country. Instead, they set a fixed monetary amount every year, and the poor also prefer receiving money over food. However, Alhamdulillah, the practice of giving food as Fitra is still prevalent among most Ahl-e-Hadith communities.

In Saudi Arabia, the Sunnah of giving Fitra in rice is still followed. Charitable organizations there accept both rice and money, but if they receive money, they later purchase rice and distribute it among the poor.

May Allah grant us the ability to follow the Sunnah. Ameen.

Allah knows best.

▬▬▬▬◆◈◆ ▬▬▬▬

(Answer provided by:
Abdullahil Hadi bin Abdul Jalil,
Dai, Jubail Dawah Center, Saudi Arabia)