The Emirates Council for Sharia Fatwa has confirmed the permissibility of paying Zakat al-Fitr in cash and estimated its monetary value for the current year 1445 AH at 25 UAE dirhams per person, explaining that it is obligatory for young and old, male and female Muslims, and that it is obligatory for those who are obligated to spend, so he pays it on behalf of himself, his wife, his children, and anyone else. He depends.
The Emirates Council for Sharia Fatwa explained, in a statement issued on the occasion of the approaching Eid al-Fitr, that Zakat al-Fitr is obligatory, which is indicated by the hadith of Ibn Omar – may God be pleased with him – who said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, imposed Zakat al-Fitr as a saa’ of barley, or A saa of dates for young and old.
The Council said that the amount of Zakat al-Fitr is 2.5 kilograms of rice for each person, and that it is permissible to pay it in kind (of rice) or in cash.
The Council permitted paying the value of food in Zakat al-Fitr in accordance with the objectives and taking into account the disagreement of scholars on this issue, including those who said that paying the value is not sufficient at all, but rather it is necessary to pay the food, and the majority of scholars are based on this; It is said that paying the value is absolutely sufficient, and this saying was narrated on the authority of some of the Companions, followers, and imams, stressing that the matter regarding that is broad. “So whoever pays the stipulated amount has done right, and whoever pays the value has paid what he owes and is sufficient, and it may be better in our time to pay the value if it is required by the interest of the poor.” And the needy.”
The Council cited the permissibility of paying the allowance with the words of Abu Ishaq Al-Subaie – one of the imams of the Followers -: “I caught them paying dirhams for the value of food in Ramadan charity,” and what Wakee’ narrated on the authority of Qurrah bin Khalid Al-Sadoosi that he said: “The letter of Omar bin Abdulaziz came to us about the zakat of al-Fitr for half A Saa’ for each person, or its value is half a dirham,” which is the opinion of Abu Hanifa and a group of scholars.
The Council called on those who wish to pay Zakat al-Fitr through the Zakat Fund and charitable institutions to expedite the delivery of the zakat to them so that they can deliver it to those who deserve it before the Eid day, as one of the purposes of the true religion in disbursing Zakat al-Fitr is to spare the poor from asking on the Eid day.
The Council recommended expediting the delivery of charitable organizations to prevent the accumulation of zakat in them, and to deliver it to those who deserve it in a timely manner, calling on God Almighty to accept from everyone their fasting, prayers, zakat, and all other good deeds, and to preserve our state and our wise leadership, and to perpetuate upon us the blessing of stability, prosperity, and development. And to spread goodness and prosperity throughout the world. He is near and answers prayers.
