Is paying zakaat al-fitr obligatory for someone who only prayed on the last day of Ramadan and did not fast?

Question:

There is a person who did not pray or fast, but the last day of Ramadan Allah guided him, and he prayed and fasted. Does he have to pay zakaat al-fitr? If he did not pay it what should he do?.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

In the answer to question no. 2182 we stated that the one who does not pray is a kaafir, whether he does not pray out of carelessness and laziness or because he denies it is obligatory. 

If Allah guides a person (to Islam) before sunset on the last day of Ramadan, he has to pay zakaat al-fitr, regardless of whether he caught up with the fast or not, because of the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) enjoined the sadaqah of Ramadan upon the people, a saa‘ of dates or a saa‘ of barley, upon every person, free or slave, male or female, among the Muslims.

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1503; Muslim, 984. 

The words “among the Muslims” are general in meaning and include everyone who became Muslim before sunset on the last day of Ramadan, even if he did not fast. 

Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: … With regard to the time when it becomes obligatory, it is when the Sun sets on the last day of Ramadan. It becomes obligatory with the setting of the sun on the last day of the month of Ramadan, so whoever becomes Muslim before sunset has to pay zakaat al-fitr, but if he became Muslim after sunset, he is not obliged to pay it. … al-Layth, Abu Thawr and ashaab al-ra’y said: It becomes obligatory when dawn breaks on the day of Eid, and this was also narrated from Maalik, because it is an act of worship that has to do with Eid, so it does not become obligatory before the day of Eid.

End quote from al-Mughni, 2/358 

Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The correct view in our opinion is that it becomes obligatory when the sun sets on the night before Eid al-Fitr. This was the view of al-Thawri, Ahmad and Ishaaq, and is mentioned in one report from Maalik. Abu Haneefah and his companions, Abu Thawr, Dawood and another reported that Maalik said that it becomes obligatory when dawn breaks.

End quote from al-Majmoo‘, 6/88. See also Haashiyat al-‘Adawi, 1/515 

If he became Muslim after sunset on the last day of Ramadan, then he does not have to pay zakaat al-fitr, because the month has ended, except in the opinion of those who say that it becomes obligatory when dawn breaks. The more correct view is that of the majority of scholars, because of the words of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) enjoined zakaat al-fitr after Ramadan. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The end of the fast of Ramadan comes when the sun sets on the night before Eid al-Fitr.

End quote from al-Sharh al-Mumti‘, 6/56.

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Zakat From Wife To Husband?

Question:
I would like to know my wife has gold jewellary which is given to her from mother but iam not well off and i am in dept also so how should i pay zakat on it. 

Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.

The husband does not have to pay zakaah on the jewellery on his wife’s behalf, because the zakaah is only obligatory on the possessor of the wealth, and the possessor in this case is your wife, because she is the owner of the jewellery. So she has to pay zakaah on it, either from the jewellery itself or from its monetary value. If her husband or someone else pays zakaah on her behalf with her permission, that is o.k., and he will be rewarded for this voluntary action.

If the wife wants to give the zakaah on her jewellery or anything else to her husband who is in debt and cannot pay it off or who is poor, there is nothing wrong with that, because it comes under the general meaning of the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“As-Sadaqaat (here it means Zakaah) are only for the Fuqaraa’ (poor), and Al-Masaakeen (the poor)…” [al-Tawbah 9:60]

Indeed there is the hope that she will have a multiple reward, because of the hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari (1466) and Muslim (1000) from Zaynab, the wife of ‘Abd-Allaah, who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Give in charity, O women, even if it is from your jewellery.’ I went back to ‘Abd-Allaah and said, ‘You are a man who has little, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has commanded us to give in charity. Go and ask him if that is acceptable, otherwise I will give my charity to someone else.’ ‘Abd-Allaah said to me, ‘No, you go and ask him.’ So I went, and there I saw a woman from among the Ansaar at the door of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), wanting to ask the same question. We felt too shy to speak to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Bilaal came out to us and we said to him, ‘Go to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and tell him that there are two women at the door asking whether it is acceptable for them to give charity (zakaah) to their husbands and the orphans who are in their care, but do not tell him who we are.’ Bilaal went in to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and asked him, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked, ‘Who are they?’ He said, ‘A woman from among the Ansaar and Zaynab.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked, ‘Which Zaynab?’ He said, ‘The wife of ‘Abd-Allaah.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him, ‘They will have two rewards, the reward of (upholding ties of) kinship and the reward of giving charity.’” Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “From this hadeeth it may be understood that it is permissible for a woman to give zakaah to her husband. This is the view of al-Shaafa’i, al-Thawri, the two companions of Abu Haneefah, one of the two reports narrated from Maalik and from Ahmad.”

See the fatwa of Shaykh ‘Abd Al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) in Fataawa Islamiyyah, 2/85 and al-Fataawa al-Jaami’ah li’l-Mar’ah al-Muslimah, 1/305.

Islam Q and A

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Seven People

Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, "Seven people will be shaded by Allah under His shade on the day when there will be no shade except His. They are:

(1) A just ruler;

(2) A young man who has been brought up in the worship of Allah, (i.e. worship Allah (Alone) sincerely from his childhood),

(3) A man whose heart is attached to the mosque (who offers the five compulsory congregational prayers in the mosque);

(4) Two persons who love each other only for Allah's sake and they meet and part in Allah's cause only;

(5) A man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for an illegal sexual intercourse with her and says: I am afraid of Allah;

(6) A person who practices charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given (i.e. nobody knows how much he has given in charity).

(7) A person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes get flooded with tears."

Bukhari :: Book 2 :: Volume 24 :: Hadith 504

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A Beautiful Month

The best part of this beautiful month is giving up the things you love just to obey your Creator.  So how do the Muslims give up things during this month? By fasting, and what is fasting? Fasting "is giving up on food, drink, desires, and everything else just to obey Allah, to please Allah, because he commanded" us (Sheikh Karim Abu Zaid). Many people wondering if they have to fast because of their illness, age, pregnancy, breastfeeding, postpartum, and some people are  also considered about zakat how much to pay, if zakat is required on gold, property, live stock, crops, and many more.  Guide Us TV has a live show every night online. If you've missed the previous Q and A live shows here are the links for some of the shows.

Ramadan
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8

Zakat
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7

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