#Ramadan: Zakatul Fitr makes your Ramadan fast valid

- Ramadan fast will become 27 after the sunset of today, Saturday, July 2

- Zakatul Fitr is the centre piece of discourse among Muslims currently

Zakatul Fitr simply means a form of charity which involves giving out grain-like food items like rice, oats, millets, wheat, barley, garri and their likes to Muslims who fasted Ramadan but do not have any means to celebrate when Ramadan fast finally ends.

Zakatul Fitr is called ‘Jaka’ in local parlance, especially among the Yorubas in Nigeria.

How Zakatul Fitr is done

If the month of Ramadan is about to end; that is when it enters day 27 to 28, there is a charity called Zakatul Fitr (the charity of food), which involves buying certain types of food and giving the food to Muslims who also fasted but have no wherewithal to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr.

A big metallic cup, known as 'Mudd' is used to measure the food used for Zakatul Fitr. It is four Mudd per head. It means if a man has two wives, nine children, two house helps, two younger brothers living with him and his personal assistant, all living under him, he will measure ‘68 Mudds’ (17 people multiplied by four Mudds).

If someone cannot find Mudd, he could replace a Mudd with four tins of evaporated milk.

Food charity is one of the easiest avenues to get reward from Allah.

Evidence of Zakatul Fitr in Hadeeth

In a Hadeeth narrated by Abdullah the son of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) from Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon his noble soul), which is reported both in Saheeh Bukhari and Saheeh Muslim. Abdullah said Zakatul Fitr is compulsory for a matured Muslim who fasted and has the means.

The charity of food is compulsory on male or female; parents or children, and all Muslims.

Food charity is done per head. That is, the head of a family will be do Zakatul Fitr on each individual who is a part of the family living with him in his house.

It is not about being so much wealthy before a person distributes Zakatul Fitr.

READ ALSO: #Ramadan: 5 things about the holy month of Ramadan

Abdullahi the son of Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said in a Hadeeth in Abu Dawood and Ibnu Majah that, “The Messenger of Allah said Zakatul Fitr is obligatory, as it is a purification for the fasting Muslim; there is no argument at all about this, also food is what is given to the poor.”

In another Hadeeth by Abdullahi the son Umar, he said the Prophet of Islam directed that Zakatul Fitr is upon the old and young, and also upon a servant (house help) as well as people who live under you (that is people you manage).

Other proofs for Food charity

According to Scholars of Islam, the food items used for Zakatul Fitr are basically grains and cereals like: Wheat, corn, rice, garri, millet, barley, and majorly the food eaten in the community where the fasting Muslims live.

The head of the family has to do it for each and every one under him.

Food charity assists the needy, the poor, by removing them out of sadness and making them happy on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr, just like the well-to-do Muslims who will eat and drink.

The time in which Zakatul Fitr should be paid is before Muslims return from Eid-ul-Fitr prayer, as the son of Umar in a Hadeeth in Bukhari and Muslim saying: “The Prophet directed that Zakatul Fitr should be paid before people return from the Masaajid (that is from Eid prayer).”

It should be noted that some Scholars hold the view that a person could use money in place of the food charity, while some scholars hold the opinion that someone could use a combination of grain-like food and money. But majority of scholars stand on the fact that it is basically done with grain-like food items eaten in that specific community.

Source: Legit.ng