Giving Zakah indispensable in completing fasting, By N. U. Abdul RAZZAK

 

Eid prayers under way

It is an essential act of charity made compulsory upon Muslims in the month of Ramadan. It is also known as Sadakathul Fitr. The words Sadaka is normally considered as a donation or charity. But the term Zakath emphasises that it is an obligatory duty enjoined on every Muslim. Therefore Muslims living every nook and corner of the world should consider this as a serious act such as the observing of the fast itself.

 

 

There are three important reasons why this obligatory duty is made compulsory upon every Muslim. First and foremost, it gets rid of the crisis, difficulties grievances and the hardship of people who observe fasting. Secondly, this essential act of charity replaces the defects, faults, flaws and short-comings that have crept into the fast of a Muslim. So it is obvious this charity helps in no small way to make each day of keeper of the fasting complete, perfect and flawless. The third reason is to wipe the tears, of the poor and the destitute. This indeed helps so much to give a helping hand to the people who live below the poverty line and the groups of people who need help due to special reasons though they are not essentially poor.

 

Therefore it is crystal clear, Islam as a perfect religion largely expects all the Muslims to give this special contribution to change the fate of the poor and needy. Some of the Muslims may ignore this charity as a minute one as the amount of help is paltry. Remember trifles make perfection but perfection is not a trifle. The poor members of the Muslim community which covers a big slice of this society can get a big relief and consolation in the Zakathul Fitra is given properly as mentioned in the Holy Quran.

 

Although every Muslim is generally expected to adhere to this obligatory duty during the month of Ramadan, closer analysis clearly say that Muslims who are able to spend on the expenses with their income or earnings are only asked to abide by this obligation. Therefore it is very clear if the expenses of a family exceeds the earning, they are not required to give the Sadakathul Fitra. Hence Muslim families who belong to the lower class should not borrow from others to do this essential act of charity. Instead, they become eligible recipients of it.

 

 

Muslims who follow Shafi Mazhab (Sri Lankans follow this Mazhah) are required to give a portion of the staple food of the respective country as the Sadakathul Fitra. Since rice is the staple food of Sri Lanka, Muslims should select this grain for the fulfilment of this duty. The amount of Sadakathul Fitra for a person in a family is 2.25 killogrammes of rice. So if there are 8 members in a family eighteen kilos of rice should be given to the poor and needy. In any case, the learned Ulamas and Moulavis are of the opinion that the amount 2.25 should be made as 2 1/2 kilo so as to get the complete satisfaction of Allah. Simply a person who fasts for a month should distribute 2 and a half kilos of rice to make his fasting perfect. Therefore the head of the family of eight members who come under his care should spend the money for 20 kilos of good rice for this essential duty.

 

Fasting is not compulsory on children but Fitra is compulsory even for an infant that was born on the last day of fasting. So Muslims should seriously take this obligation to get the satisfaction of the Almighty Allah. Those who have paddy can offer two folds of rice they are required to give to the poor and the other categories who are eligible to get this charity.

 

 

Muslims are normally asked to give their share of Fitra during any day of fasting. However there is an ideal duration for giving this essential charity. This time begins when the new moon or the crescent is seen on the last day of fasting. The ending of this period commences when the Eid prayers get under way.

 

There is a sound reason for this. Giving Fitra during these hours ensures that every hearth of the poor Muslim families gets the rare opportunity of cooking a perfect meal for the whole family. Hence the day of festival becomes a happy occasion for each and every Muslim. So Muslims have a responsibility of planning their Fitra to be given at the right time to get more merits.

 

Unfortunately, today Fitra is taken for granted by a considerable slice of the Muslim population. Giving a tin of rice to the beggars won’t fulfill this obligation. Nobody will oppose that beggars should be helped. But what Islam expects is to distribute the food through this essential act of charity to the eight groups where beggars automatically get a place. Identifying the eight groups is a duty upon every Muslim as a good number of beggars do begging as a profession.

 

A few are well off. There are some who work on contract. A good number of healthy young persons also get engaged in begging as it is lucrative. Therefore throwing the food to the wrong persons will not create economic revolution as expected by Islam. When Zakath and Sadaka are offered in a wrong manner it will create confusion in society.

The Holy Quran clearly names the eight groups of people who are permitted to get this charity. The Quranic verse 60 of the 9th Sura in the 10th Chapter says:

 

“Alms shall be only for the poor and the needy and for those employed to administer alms and for those attracted to the faith and for captives and debtors and for the cause of Allah and the way farer. That is a duty enjoined by Allah. He is wise, knowing.”

 

According to these words of Allah, the first group who get themselves listed are the poor. They take two groups in the eight divisions. The first group is known as the Fukara (plural). A Fakkeer is a person who has no income at all for the survival of him or the members who depend on him. The genuine beggars certainly get a prominent place in this group.

The second group though slightly better than the first one, they also fight to keep the wolf from the door. Simply because their income is hardly enough to run the family. The third group is the people who get engaged in collecting the provisions for this charity. Normally they work for Mosque or the Islamic welfare societies that are dedicated to wipe the tears of the poor and the destitute.

 

People who only work during the month of Ramadan do not come under this group as Islam required them to work throughout the year. Therefore Muslims should carefully decide when giving Fitra to this group.

 

Otherwise collectors can become rich (in a short period) overnight thus setting a bad example which is never allowed in Islam.

 

The fourth group is also an important segment in the Islamic society. They are the converts or the new Muslims. This charity is made compulsory to be accepted by them till they settle down. So it can take a few years for them to adhere to Islam completely. Till then Muslims should give their Sadakathul Fitra to them. No Muslim should forget this group as Almighty Allah wants them to follow Islam without any burden.

The fifth group entertains slaves as the right group to enjoy the benefits of Sadakathul Fitra. As freed slaves and not found in countries like Sri Lanka in this age, Muslims can think of other groups to give their charity.

 

Islam always extends its support for the people who are in trouble. The sixth group is rightly reserved to debtors. Most of these hapless people never reveal their problems as they want to keep their status intact. So the Muslims can seriously think of giving their Sadakathul Fitra to such person who are in financial crisis. Muslims who live in a particular locality can easily identify such persons who live with them.

 

The penultimate category goes to the wayfarers. People who are on long tours can face different problems. Giving our Sadakathul Fitra can be very much useful to get over their problems. So the way farers too should be given their share of Sadakathul Fitra. Lastly, people who sacrifice themselves for the cause of Allah get themselves included to get this charity.

 

The person who receives charity never loses his position or respect as identification should be made by the fellow Muslims who has the income to spend on his expenses. Sadakathul Fitr is not an act of begging. All these aforementioned 8 types of people will essentially not visit the doorstep of the Muslim residences. Therefore it is a responsibility to identify the group. Let us give more to get more.