Assalamu alaikum. All praise belongs to Allah and may His peace and mercy be upon our Prophet ﷺ. There is a question that says whether we can pay Zakat Al Fitr in money or cash.
Answer To The Question: Can We Pay Zakat Al Fitr In Money or Cash?
Alhamdulillah, all praise belongs to Allah, and may His peace and mercy be upon our Prophet ﷺ. One of the most debated issues regarding Zakat al-Fitr is whether we can pay Zakat Al Fitr in money or cash instead of food. Scholars differ on this issue, with two primary opinions.
We should understand that Zakat al-Fitr is a mandatory charity that every Muslim must pay at the end of Ramadan before the Eid prayer. It serves as a purification for those who fasted and as a means of supporting the poor and needy. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prescribed it upon all Muslims, young and old, male and female.
What Did the Prophet (ﷺ) Command?
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) clearly instructed that Zakat al-Fitr should be given in the form of staple food. Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) made Zakat al-Fitr obligatory, one saa’ of dates or one saa’ of barley, upon the slave and the free, the male and the female, and the young and the old among the Muslims, and he commanded that it be given before the people go out to the (Eid) prayer.” (Bukhari, 1503; Muslim, 984)
This Hadith tells us that the Prophet (ﷺ) commanded us to use food, not money, as the means of fulfilling this obligation. The term saa’ refers to a specific measurement of food items such as wheat, barley, dates, or rice, which can be converted to the measurement that is commonly consumed in the region. Let’s move to the scholarly opinions on whether we can pay zakat al fitr on money or cash?
The Classical Scholarly View: Can we pay zakat al fitr on money or cash?
1. First opinion
The majority of early scholars, including Imam Malik, Imam Shafi’i, and Imam Ahmad, adhered strictly to the Sunnah and maintained that Zakat al-Fitr must be given in food, as prescribed by the Prophet (ﷺ). They argued that since the Prophet (ﷺ) clearly mentioned food, converting it to money isn’t allowed. This view is the majority view.
The majority of scholars maintain that Zakat al-Fitr must be given in food and not money. Their reasoning is:
- The Prophet ﷺ explicitly commanded giving food and never mentioned money. In the era of our Prophet ﷺ, poor people were also in need of money very well, and yet the Prophet didn’t tell the people to change or convert it to money and give it to the poor.
- The Companions (Sahabah) strictly followed this practice. Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri رضي الله عنه reported:
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was among us, we used to give out Zakat al-Fitr on behalf of every young and old person, free or slave, as one Sā‘ of food, or one Sā‘ of Aqit (dried yogurt), or one Sā‘ of barley, or one Sā‘ of dates, or one Sā‘ of raisins. (Sahih Muslim – 985)
- The purpose of Zakat al-Fitr is to ensure the poor have food on Eid, which may not be guaranteed if given as cash. It is only recommended to add money to it if we are able to so as to make the processing easier for them.
Sheikh Ibn Baaz رحمه الله said:
“Giving Zakat al-Fitr in cash is not valid, because the Prophet ﷺ made it obligatory to be given as food, and the Sahabah followed this.”
(Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 14/200)
The majority view is that we can’t pay Zakat al fitr with money.
2. The second opinion
This is the view of the Hanafi school, led by Imam Abu Hanifah, which permits that we can pay Zakat al fitr in money or cash. They reasoned that the purpose of Zakat al-Fitr is to help the poor, and money might serve as a better means to fulfill their needs, especially if food is already abundant.
They argue that the purpose of Zakat al-Fitr is to help the poor, and cash may be more beneficial in some cases, and money allows the recipient to buy what they need most.
Is there any evidence from the Quran and Sunnah that supports that we can pay Zakat al fitr in money or cash? NO
What is the correct opinion? Can we pay Zakat al fitr in money or cash?
Concerning this question, which people are asking that “Can we pay zakat al fitr in money or cash?”, the correct opinion is that it is not allowed. This means that the first opinion is the correct one because it follows the Prophet’s ﷺ command to give food, and this was the direct instruction of the Prophet (ﷺ) for this act of worship.
“Giving Zakat al-Fitr in money is not valid because the Prophet (ﷺ) prescribed it in the form of food, and there is no evidence to support giving it in the form of money.” Many contemporary scholars, such as Sheikh Ibn Baaz and Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, argue that the safest and most correct way is to pay Zakat al-Fitr in food only. This is because..
- The Prophet (ﷺ) specified food, not money.
- Zakat al-Fitr is an act of worship, and we must follow the exact method prescribed.
- The poor may misuse the cash, whereas food directly benefits them, but the cash given to them might trigger them to use the money for material things instead.
- People were also in dire need of money in the time of our Prophet ﷺ too, but he and the companions sticked to giving food to the poor instead of giving money as Zakat al fitr. There’s no problem if someone adds money to it after giving them food for Zakat al Fitr.
Based on this evidence, it is not allowed to pay zakat al fitr in money or cash except under one condition, which we are going to discuss below. To those trying to use Imam Abu Hanifa as their evidence on this, they should know that the Imam has already mentioned that..
“When a hadith is found to be Sahih (authentic), then that is my adopted position. (Hashiya of Ibn Abidin vol.1 pg. 63). This menas that we should follow what the prophet prescribed and leave his opionion. (Islmorg 148927)
Can I send Money For Zakat Al Fitr To Be Converted To Food?
Yes, the money can be sent to a trustworthy person who will use the money to buy food worthy of the required measurement(Sa’a) and then give it to the needy on behalf of the person who sent the money. This is the only exception where it is allowed to send it as money.
As Muslims, our priority should always be to follow the Prophet’s (ﷺ) example and give Zakat al-Fitr in the manner he commanded by giving it with food. To our brother and any other Muslims who might be looking for the answer to this type of question, which says “Can we pay zakat al fitr in money or cash?”, this article has explained it all. We ask Allah to accept our worship and reward us abundantly for it.
We ask Allah to accept our fasting, our prayers, and our charity. Protect us from mistakes and sins, keep us steadfast on the straight path, and grant us Al-Firdaws Al-A’la in Jannah. O Most Merciful of the merciful, accept our supplications. Aameen.
