and if a sāʿ were divided among them, they would survive, whereas if it were given exclusively to some of them, the rest would die. In this case, it should be divided among several people. But this requires that dividing it serve their welfare. The Sharia is above such objectionable practices, which reasonable people would not approve and which none of the early generations of this ummah or its leading scholars practised. Furthermore, the Prophet’s words, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,

“food for the needy,”

explicitly establish that this is the right of the needy. Likewise, Allah Most High says in the verse concerning zihār (declaring one’s wife unlawful by likening her to one’s mother):

“Then the feeding of sixty needy people.”

If that may not be distributed among the eight categories of recipients, then neither may this. For this reason, what is paid as zakāt on wealth must be of the same kind as the property constituting the zakāt threshold, and the required payment is something that can be retained and made productive. Thus, female livestock are required rather than males, except for a yearling male calf and a two-year-old male camel, because the purpose is milk and offspring, which only females provide.

With Eid sacrifices and pilgrimage offerings, however, the purpose is consumption, so a male is preferable to a female. When these offerings and sacrifices, or any portion of them, are given in charity, they are given to the needy who are in want, rather than distributed among all eight categories of recipients. Zakāt al-fitr was prescribed as food for consumption, not for generating further wealth. It is therefore clear that it belongs to the same category as expiatory offerings.

If it is said that His words,

“Charitable dues are only for the poor and the needy,”

explicitly encompass all forms of charity, the response is: This is mistaken for several reasons: