Zakat al Fitr: real purchasing power
Zakat al-Fitr is obligatory alms. Every Muslim; man or woman, young or old, must pay it during the holy month of Ramadan. It purifies the fasting person from any indecent act or speech during this holy month and, in addition, it helps the poor and needy to provide for some necessary needs. Prophet Mohamed, may the prayer and peace of God be upon him, determined the minimum quantity with a measure of dates, barley, raisins or cheese, as these foods were the basic food in Medina and Mecca. All the Sharia scholars agreed that this should come from the majority of the food in each country, and not only from the foods mentioned in the various hadiths reported by the Prophet, peace is upon him. They also determined the content of a "saa" which means the measure of the Prophet period, between 2 and 3 kilograms of the weighed amount. Thus, the majority of Sharia scholars agreed that there is nothing wrong with paying its value in cash based on the market price - for the predominant food in each country - coinciding with the time of payment of zakat al-fitr. Others added that, the one to whom the zakat al-fitr was spent, should buy what he wanted according to his needs, not only the predominant food in his country. However, the official sharia authorities determine every year, during the month of Ramadan, the minimum amount and value in local currency of Zakat el fitr.
On the other hand, it should be noted that the actual purchasing power of this type of zakat varies between contrys. To explain this difference, I compared its value among Islamic countries and took examples of some Arab countries, as a sample, which determined the value of Zakat al-Fitr for the year 1444 AH corresponding to the month of March-April 2023 and then converted this value of national currency into a common world reference currency; the US dollar, as follows:
countries national currency American dollar Zakat el fitr (national currency) Zakat el fitr (American dollar)
EAU DIRHAM 0,2723 25,00 6,81
SAOUDITE RIAL 0,2662 25,00 6,66
KOWAIT DINAR 3,2619 2,00 6,52
KATAR RIAL 0,2721 16,00 4,35
SYRIE LIRE 0,0004 10 000,00 4,00
BAHRAINE DINAR 2,6500 1,50 3,98
IRAK DINAR 0,0007 4 000,00 2,80
JORDANIE DINAR 1,4100 1,80 2,54
MAROCO DIRHAM 0,0975 20,00 1,95
LIBY DINAR 0,2100 7,00 1,47
EGYPTE LIVRE 0,0323 30,00 0,97
ALGERIA DINAR 0,0073 120,00 0,88
TUNISIA DINAR 0,3198 1,98 0,63
SOUDAN LIVRE 0,0017 135,00 0,23
My objective in this observation of the different values of Zakat al-fitr in national currency is to determine the real purchasing power, not only of the predominant food, but also of the various human needs. And from this data, I see that in countries where food prices are free and without subsidies, the value of zakat al-fitr is of significant value, as in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and others. As for the countries that support barley and wheat and certain foods that are predominantly consumed, the value of zakat al-fitr is completely far from the expected social purpose of this obligation.
In Algeria, for example, the total amount of zakat al-fitr for fifteen (15) individuals is 1,800.00 Algerian dinars. This amount allows its owner to buy only 750 grams of veal or lamb. The situation is not far from countries like Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and others, which support the basic food.
As for the amount of zakat al-fitr for the same individuals in the State of Qatar, for example, it amounts to 240 Qatari riyals. This amount allows a small family of four or five members to buy what they need in vegetables, fruits, some general commodities (coffee, tea, sugar...) and a pound of lamb, all of which can equal the expenses of a whole week.
From this point of view, and in order for the value of zakat al-fitr to be of significant purchasing power and not symbolic, and in order to achieve the desired social goal, I suggest that the reference for determining the value of zakat al-fitr should be unified in Islamic countries and be linked to a unified and unsubsidized staple food, or be linked to a metal such as gold, as the annual Nissab of zakat is determined. ...more
منصور بن عوف عبد الكريم
Microposts
Since 2023-04-01
Zakat al Fitr: real purchasing power Zakat al-Fitr is obligatory alms. Every Muslim; man or woman, ...
Zakat al Fitr: real purchasing power
Zakat al-Fitr is obligatory alms. Every Muslim; man or woman, young or old, must pay it during the holy month of Ramadan. It purifies the fasting person from any ...more
Zakat al-Fitr is obligatory alms. Every Muslim; man or woman, young or old, must pay it during the holy month of Ramadan. It purifies the fasting person from any ...more
Muhammad Naasiruddeen al-Albaanee
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