The Time for Giving Zakat Al-Fitr

It should be given before the Eid prayer, as is stated in the hadeeth that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) “commanded that it should be given before the people went out to pray.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari, 1407).

There is a time when it is mustahab (preferable) to give it and a time when it is permissible to give it.

The time when it is mustahab to give it is on the day of Eid, because of the hadeeth quoted above.  For this reason it is Sunnah to delay the Eid prayer on Eid al-Fitr so as to allow enough time for those who have to give zakat al-fitr to do so, and to have breakfast before coming out. On the other hand, it is Sunnah to hasten the Eid prayers on Eid al-Adhaa so that the people can go and offer their sacrifices and eat from them.

The time when it is permissible to give zakat al-fitr is one or two days before Eid. In Saheeh al-Bukhari it is reported that Naafi’ said: “Ibn ‘Umar used to give on behalf of the young and the old, and he even used to give on behalf of my sons. He would give to those who took it, and it would be given a day or two before (Eid) al-Fitr.”

(“Those who took it” refers to those who were appointed by the imam to collect the sadaqat al-fitr).

Naafi’ said: “Ibn ‘Umar used to send zakat al-fitr to the one who  was  collecting  it  two  or  three  days  before  (‘Eid)  al- Fitr.”  (al-Mudawwanah, part 1,  Baab Ta’jeel al-Zakah qabla huloolihaa).

It is disliked (makrooh) to delay giving it until after Salat al-‘Eid; some scholars said that this is haram and is counted as qadaa’ (making up a duty that has not been performed on time), on the basis of the hadeeth, “Whoever pays it before the prayer, it is an accepted zakat, and whoever pays it after the prayer, it is just a kind of charity.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, 1371).

It says in ‘Awn al-Ma’bood Sharh Abi Dawood: “Obviously, the one who gives zakat al-fitr after the prayer is like one who did not give it, because they have in common the fact that they did not give this obligatory charity.” Most of the scholars think that giving it before Salat al-‘Eid is only mustahab, and they confirmed that it is OK to give it at any time until the end of the day of Fitr, but this opinion is refuted by the hadeeth. With regard to delaying it until after the day of Eid, Ibn Ruslaan said: “This is haram by consensus, because it is zakat, so the one who delays it must be committing a sin, as is the case when one delays a prayer.”

So it is haram to delay giving it for no good reason, because this defeats the purpose, which is to save the poor from having to ask on the day of joy. If a person delays giving it with no excuse, he has committed a sin but he still has to make it up.

Zakat al-fitr has to be handed over to someone who is entitled to it or someone who has been appointed to collect it, at the right time before the Eid prayer. If a man wants to give it to a particular person, but cannot find him or a trustee who can accept it on his behalf, and he is afraid that time is running out, he has to give it to another entitled person, and not delay giving it. If a person wants to give his zakat al-fitr to a specific needy person, and is afraid that he may not see him at the appropriate time, he should tell him to appoint someone to accept it on his behalf, or to appoint him (the giver) to take it from himself on his behalf. Then when the time comes, he can take it to him in a bag or whatever, or keep it for him as a trust until he sees him.

If the one who wants to give zakaat appoints someone else to give it on his behalf, he is still responsible for it until he is certain that his deputy has carried out his instructions. (Majaalis Shahr Ramadaan: Ahkaam Zakat al-Fitr, by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen).