Chapter Twelve Zakaat-ul-Fitr: It is also called ‘Sadaqat-ul-Fitr’; the two names have appeared in the Noble Ahaadeeth and become widespread in the books of Fiqh. Sadaqat-ul-Fitr or Zakaat-ul-Fitr is a Zakaah like the other obligatory Zaakawaat and it is a type from amongst the types of Zakaah and has therefore been placed by the Fuqahaa in the chapter of Zakaah. I have however preferred to place it here in the chapter of As-Sawm due to its connection with it just as I have included a number of other topics which have a relationship to fasting despite there being placed in different chapters of Fiqh ordinarily. I have done this as can be seen from the title of this book I wanted to collect all of the specific Fiqh related to fasting so this book ‘Al-Jaami’ LiAhkaam-is-Siyaam’ was intended to be comprehensive in dealing with the Ahkaam of Siyaam, including all of its rules with the aim of helping the reader to be able to view all of the Ahkaam from one sources. Sadaqat-ul-Fitr or Zakaat-ul-Fitr has been indicated in the Noble Book of Allah (swt) and it is included in all of the Ayaat that use the term Zakaah. At-Tabari narrated in his Tafseer (156/3) from Abu Khaldah that he said: [I entered upon Abu ‘Aaliyah and he said to me: When you go out for ‘Eid tomorrow pass by me. He said: So I passed by him and He said: Have you eaten anything? I replied: Yes. He said: Have you had water? I replied: Yes. He said: So tell me what did you do in regards to your Zakaah? I said: I addressed it (Igave it out). He said: I only wanted you for this then he read: (قد أفلح من تزكى وذكر اسم ربه
)فصلى. (Verily the one who purifies himself (with Zakaah) has been successful and remembers the name of his Lord and prays). And he said: The people of Al-Madinah have not seen a Sadaqah better than it, and the drinking of water]. Ibn Al-Qudaamah said in AlMughni: [Sa’eed Bin Al-Musayyib and ‘Umar Ibn Abd-il-Azeez said in relation to the Ayah: (
)قد أفلح من تزكىIt concerns Zakaat-ul-Fitr. It has been named Zakaat-ul-Fitr because the Fitr (breaking of fast) after the Fast is its Sabab (cause) or because it becomes obligatory upon the Fitr. The Hukm (ruling) of Zakaat-ul-Fitr: Ibn ul-Mundhir said that it has been reported from the people of knowledge that Zakaat-ulFitr is Fard (obligatory). This statement is not precise and what Ishaq said is more accurate: The obligation of Al-Fitr is like an Ijmaa’. This is because it has been reported from some of the later followers of Imaam Maalik, Daawood and some of the Shaafi’iyah that it is Sunnah and they interpreted what has been found in the Ahaadeeth that the word Farada (to obligate) means Qaddara (to estimate) taken from its original Arabic meaning. The Majority have said (however) that Zakaat-ul-Fitr is Fard. The truth is that Zakaat-ul-Fitr is Fard (obligatory), firstly because it is a Zakaah from the forms of Zakawaat, secondly because the text has made it obligatory so when the word (farada) comes in an evidence it is then obligatory to take its Sharee’ah meaning which is Waajib and not to go to its linguistic meaning. What has been established (in meanings) by the Shar’a dominates linguistic considerations so any wording used in the texts must first be explained by its Shar’a meaning. 19) ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (ra) said: