Is the Imam of Al-Masjid Al-Jami`

Fatwa no. 2675 Praise be to Allah alone and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger, his family and Companions. To proceed:The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta' has examined the question submitted by the Crop Storehouses Manager in Riyadh to His Eminence the Chairman referred to by the secretariat-general as No. 1953/2 and dated 11/10/1399 A.H. stating:We wish that Your Eminence will graciously issue a Fatwa on whether it is permissible to pay Zakat-ul-Fitr (obligatory charity paid before the Festival of Breaking Fast) as crops and foodstuffs other than wheat and in cash. In accordance with its custom of helping farmers, the State purchases wheat from them, through the Public Institution of Crop Storehouses and Flour Grinders, for encouraging prices reaching 3.5 riyals for one kilogram. The wheat is then ground in the Institution's grinders producing the white flour that is to be sold to citizens for paltry prices reaching 11 or 13 riyals for one bag based on the quality bearing in mind that production costs are fivefold that price. In fact, it stands as an aid given to citizens by the State and a means for alleviating the high cost of living. (Part No. 9; Page No. 383) However, in case it is necessary to sell wheat to citizens, the Institution cannot sell it for a price less than for that which it is purchased, i.e. one riyal, so that no one might swindle purchasing wheat for less than one riyal and reselling it to the Institution for such a high price. This stands for a kind of supervision and safeguarding public funds for which we are accountable before Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He).

The Committee gave the following reply :Zaktul-Fitr is to be paid as wheat, dates, raisins, cheese, rice or any other foodstuff a person provides for himself or for his family. However, it may not be paid in cash.A detailed Fatwa has been already issued by the Committee stating the ruling on paying Zakatul-Fitr, what kinds of property it should be paid as and on behalf of whom it should be paid along with evidence which are as follows:Zakatul-Fitr is an act of worship. The kinds of property it should be paid as are mentioned by the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the Hadith authentically reported on the authority of Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with both of them) who said: The Prophet (peace be upon him) has imposed Zakatul-Fitr in Ramadan on free men and slaves, and on males and females, (and it was), either one Sa‘ of dates or one Sa‘ of barley. Moreover, the same is clarified in the Hadith reported on the authority of Abu Sa`id Al-Khudry (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: We used to pay during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) Zakatul-Fitr one Sa`of (Part No. 9; Page No. 384) food, of dried dates, one Sa` of barley, one Sa` of raisins or one Sa`of cheese. (Related by both Al-Bukhari and Muslim). Undoubtedly, along many years during which Muslims would pay Zakatul-Fitr during the lifetimes of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the poor, being many, would need clothing and requirements other than foodstuff. Nevertheless, we were never told that the Prophet (peace be upon him), took diversity of the needs of the poor into consideration, would give each the kind of foodstuff that befits them to eat were they young or old. We have never been told that any of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them) did that either. Rather, it was the prevailing practice that people would pay the kinds of foodstuff mentioned by the Prophet (peace be upon him). Thus, if the poor need something other than foodstuff, they can dispose of the foodstuff they have according to their needs.May Allah grant us success. May blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions!