Zakat al-Fitr is due from every Muslim regardless of their age.
Delaying payment is dangerous because one of the conditions to have your fast accepted and to come to the Eid prayer is to make sure that the zakat al-fitr has reached its rightful recipients.
If you put money in a box at the place of prayer on eid, it has failed to reach the people, and you may be sinful for that.
Some notes from AlMaghrib’s Rizq Management seminar:
Zakatul Fitr:
- aka Zakatul Badan – paid on every person in your household.
- Made obligatory in Ramadan in the second year of hijrah.
- It is a part of our deen is that everyone has food on eid.
- The reward of fasting is withheld until the zakat al-fitr is paid. [This hadeeth has been classified as weak]
Amount:
One sa’a of dates or barley- similar dry pasta, rice, dry cereal, dates, raisins, etc.
The amount of Zakat al-Fitr is one Sa’a. Sa’a is a volume measure corresponding approximately to the volume of 5lbs of good wheat. The material of the zakah can be dates, barley, wheat, rice, corn or similar items considered as basic foods.
Timing:
- Must be paid before Eid Salaah
- It is sinful to pay after the Eid Salaah because we need to make sure that the zakah has reached the deserving people.
- Paying a few minutes before the salaah is incorrect. The zakat al-fitr must be paid and distributed before the salaah.
And Allah the Exalted knows best.
Ify Okoye 