Chapter

One sa‘ of wheat, barley, their flour, their roasted grain meal, dates, raisins, or dried curds is obligatory …

His statement, “Chapter”: In this chapter, the author—may Allah have mercy on him—explains the required amount of zakat al-fitr and the kinds of food from which it may be given.

His statement, “One sa‘ is obligatory,” means that one sa‘ must be given. A sa‘ is a known measure of volume, namely the sa‘ of the Prophet ﷺ, based on the hadith of Ibn ‘Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both: “The Prophet ﷺ prescribed the charity of fitr as one sa‘ of dates or one sa‘ of raisins …” (1).

Measures of sa‘ differ according to times, places, and people. The scholars therefore agreed that what is meant by the sa‘ for zakat al-fitr, the sa‘ for ritual bathing, the mudd for ablution, and the half-sa‘ for the expiation of harm is the Prophetic sa‘ and mudd.

The sa‘ is a measure by which volume is determined. It was converted, by estimation, into the mithqal, a measure by which weight is determined, because times and measuring vessels have varied. The scholars said that it was converted to weight in order to preserve it, for weight can be preserved. The scholars—may Allah have mercy on them—used firm, good-quality wheat, equivalent in density to lentils, and determined the matter precisely. I have likewise determined it, and it amounts to two kilograms and forty grams of firm wheat.

It is well known that substances differ in lightness and heaviness. If something is heavy, we take the cautious approach and increase the weight; and if it is light, we reduce it. There is no harm in using weight, because a light substance occupies a greater volume, whereas a heavy substance occupies a smaller volume.