Chapter: The Charity of al-Fiṭr
It is linked to "fiṭr" (the breaking of the fast) by attributing the effect to its cause. The scholars are unanimously agreed that it is obligatory, and Allah—the Exalted—legislated it for great purposes and many benefits.
Among those benefits:
• It is a purification for the one who fasted and a token of gratitude to Allah for enabling him to complete the fasting of Ramadan—and gratitude as well for allowing him to witness another turn of the year while His favors keep coming, the greatest of which are Islam and faith.
• It provides relief that unites rich and poor: when the wealthy give a portion of their wealth, the needy are spared on that day from searching for their livelihood and are raised above the shame of begging on a day when everyone loves to appear well-off. Thus they share with others in what is lawfully festive—Allah is Gentle with His servants; He is the All-Wise, the All-Aware.
The First ḥadīth
ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: “The Prophet ﷺ made the charity of al-Fiṭr—or, he said, of Ramadan—obligatory upon the male and the female, the free person and the slave: one ṣāʿ (approx. 2.5–3 kg) of dates or one ṣāʿ of barley.” He added, “People later exchanged this for half a ṣāʿ of wheat for both the young and the old.” In another wording: “that it be paid before the people go out to the prayer.”
The Second ḥadīth
Abu Saʿid al-Khudrī (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “In the time of the Prophet ﷺ we used to give one ṣāʿ of food, or one ṣāʿ of dates, or one ṣāʿ of barley, or one ṣāʿ of dried curd, or one ṣāʿ of raisins. When Muʿāwiyah arrived and the red wheat reached us, he said, ‘I think that a single mudd of this equals two mudds.’ (1) Abu Saʿid said, ‘As for me, I shall continue to give it just as I used to during the days of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’”
Unfamiliar Terms
• al-Aqiṭ: dried curd made from churned milk, boiled until its water evaporates and then dried; the best is that made from sheep’s milk.
• al-Samrāʾ: a term referring to wheat.