Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 1001 [Read full issue]
Poor-due of Ramadan
The Messenger made incumbent on every male or female, freeman or slave, young or old, the payment of one sa' of dates or barley as charity or poor-due or charity for Ramadan. The people then equalized one sa' of dates or barley with half a sa' of wheat. Others used to give dates. Once there was scarcity of dates in Medinah and they gave barley. Even if a baby is born to the family before the Festival prayer, the poor-due at the end of Ramadan (zakat al-fitr) becomes obligatory on the guardians to be paid on behalf of the newly born child. The head of the family is responsible to pay on behalf of each member of the family, especially if they are young, but if they are adults then they must pay it by themselves. The husband must pay on behalf of the wife. Any person who possesses the day's provision for self and family has to pay the poor-due at the end of Ramadan.
The poor-due purifies the soul of the fasting person. Ibn Abbas narrated, "The Messenger, upon whom be peace, made charity of poor-due compulsory as purification of a fasting person from vile discourse and vain talks and also as food to the poor and the needy." [Abu Dawud] In another narration, Ibn Abbas said, "The Messenger enjoined charity of the poor-due so that those who observe fasting are purified of their indecent and shameful errors, and the poor and the needy ones are enabled to arrange for their necessities of food and clothing." [Abu Dawud] Therefore a person who gives his poor-due before the prescribed Festival prayer will be accepted by God as poor-due marking the end of Ramadan, but whosoever gives it after the prescribed Festival prayer will be treated as an ordinary charity. Poor-due also serves as a token of thankfulness to God for having enabled him or her to observe the fast.
Compiled From:
Ramadan: Motivating Believers To Action, "The Poor Due at the End of Ramadan" - Navid Hanif