A Guide to Ramadhan and Fasting

Table of Contents

The End of Ramadhan

Donations at the end of Ramadan: Sadaqat al-Fitr

FITR means breaking the Fast, and Sadaqat al-Fitr is the charity given away at the end of Ramadan. It was enjoined upon all Muslims by the Prophet the same year that fasting was made obligatory.

The payment of Sadaqar al-Firr is obligatory on every Muslim, male or female, child or adult, who is able to afford it on that day. The Prophet has said:

Certainly, Sadaqat al-Fitr is a duty incumbent on every Muslim, whether male or female, jree or slave, minor or major. (At-Tirmidhi)

The sadaqah of a slave is paid by his master and the sadaqah of a wife is paid by her husband except according to Abu Hanifah, and the sadaqah of children and the insane is paid by the parents or guardian. According to the I-lana? madhhab, sadaqah becomes obligatory on every Muslim who is alive at the appearance of dawn on the �Eid day. Thus there is no sadaqah. on a person who dies before dawn or is deprived of wealth and is reduced to poverty before dawn. Similarly sadaqah will be obligatory for a baby who is born before dawn during the night but not for a baby who is born afterwards. Sadaqah is also obligatory on a person who embraces Islam before dawn on the day of �Eid. However, according to the Maliik and ash-Shaf1�i schools the sadaqah becomes obligatory at the setting of the sun on the last day of fasting, and that those who accept Islam or who are born after that are not due to pay it.

Though in the Hana? school sadaqah becomes obligatory at dawn on the day of �Eid, according to some its purpose and spirit demand that it should be distributed among the poor and needy people a few days earlier so as to enable them to make necessary arrangements for their food and clothing well in time for the celebration of �Eid and congregational prayers. It is reported in Bukhari that the Companions of the Prophet usually paid out their Sadaqat al-Fitr a few days before �Eid. If a person cannot do so, he should distribute his sadaqah before the �Eid Prayer in any case. The Prophet 3 has said:

The sadaqah of the person who gives it away before the �Eid Prayer will be accepted by Allah as real charity, bi-it the Sadaqah of the one who delays it and pays eyfterwards will be treated as ordinary charity. (Abu Dawud)

If someone forgets to pay off his �Bid sadaqah before the �Bid Prayer due to negligence or some other reason, he must pay it as soon as possible after the �Eid Prayer.

A father has to pay Sadaqah al-Fitr not only for himself, but also for his minor children.
A father also has to pay on behalf of his major children if they are poor and needy, otherwise not, except in the case of adult daughters who are as yet unmarried.
A father has to pay on behalf of his insane children even if they are major Whether or not they possess property.
A master has to pay for his slaves, and for servants who are his dependants and living under his guardianship.
In the Hanafi school a well�do-do Woman has to pay sadaqah, but only for herself; she is under no obligation to pay it on behalf of her children or parents or husband. If her husband does pay her sadaqah as an act of goodness it is permissible and valid. However, in the other schools the husband pays for his wife and for all his dependents.
If the father is dead, the grandfather Will pay the sadaqah on behalf of those mentioned above.
Sadaqat al-Fitr is also obligatory for a person with a valid excuse who has not fasted during Ramadan.

Its amount is explained in the following hadith:
Ibn �Umar narrated that the Messenger of Allah Q1�; made the Sadaqat al-Fl tr obligatory as a sa� of dates or a sa� Qf barley for slaves and jree people, male and female, young and old of the Mtaslims. (Bukhari)

Firstly, as with all sadaqah, it helps to wash away wrong actions

embraces Islam before dawn on the day of �Eid. However, according to the Mali}: and ash-Shaf1�i schools the sadaqah becomes obligatory at the setting of the sun on the last day of fasting, and that those who accept Islam or who are born after that are not due to pay it.

The sadaqah of the person who gives it away before the �Eid Prayer will be accepted by Allah as real charity, bi-it the Sadaqah of the one who delays it and pays eyfterwards will be treated as ordinary charity. (Abu Dawud)

If someone forgets to pay off his �Bid sadaqah before the �Bid Prayer due to negligence or some other reason, he must pay it as soon as possible after the �Eid Prayer.

A father has to pay Sadaqah al-Fitr not only for himself, but also for his minor children.
A father also has to pay on behalf of his major children if they are poor and needy, otherwise not, except in the case of adult daughters who are as yet unmarried.
A father has to pay on behalf of his insane children even if they are major Whether or not they possess property.
A master has to pay for his slaves, and for servants who are his dependants and living under his guardianship.
In the Hanafi school a well�do-do Woman has to pay sadaqah, but only for herself; she is under no obligation to pay it on behalf of her children or parents or husband. If her husband does pay her sadaqah as an act of goodness it is permissible and valid. However, in the other schools the husband pays for his wife and for all his dependents.
If the father is dead, the grandfather Will pay the sadaqah on behalf of those mentioned above.
Sadaqat al-Fitr is also obligatory for a person with a valid excuse who has not fasted during Ramadan.

Its amount is explained in the following hadith:

Ibn �Umar narrated that the Messenger of Allah made the Sadaqat al-Fl tr obligatory as a sa� of dates or a sa� Qf barley for slaves and jree people, male and female, young and old of the Mtaslims. (Bukhari)

(The sa� is a volume of four double handfuls. It is a volume of 2.03 litres, and will have a different weight according to the commodity in question.) Practically, the local mosque will advise the conmiunity of What this amounts to each year. Sadaqah al-Fltr must be given as wheat, barley, salt (a type of barley), dates, raisins, dried cottage cheese, rice, maize or millet, or according to the I-Ianafi madhhab its value can be given in cash.

The reasons for this sadaqah are tWo~fold.

Ibn Abbas reported: The Prophet made Zaleat al-Fitr obligatory as a pnn?catlon for the fasting person jrom idle talk and indecent conversation and as food for the bere?. I/Vhoever discharges it before the prayer, it is an accepted zaleat, and whoever discharges it after the prayer, it is just a sadaqah. (Abu Dawud)

Firstly, as with all sadaqah, it helps to wash away wrong actions. Although, We may have devoted ourselves to the best of our abilities in ibadah during the month of Ramadan, We may unwittingly have committed some errors and the payment of this sadaqah helps to atone for those small mistakes and makes the fast complete. Secondly, it allows not only the Wealthy people in a society to enjoy and celebrate �Eid but also the poor and needy, thus helping to foster love and harmony between all Muslims.

The �Eid Prayer

The �Eid prayer is surmah according to the majority of scholars and those who are obliged to attend the Jumu�ah ought to attend it, and there are differences of opinion as to those women, slaves and travellers who are not obliged to attend it. It is wajib (incumbent) according to Hanafi ?qh for men not Women, adults not children, the healthy not the sick, residents not travellers and for the sane not the insane. The Prophet performed it regularly and never missed it, as did the rightly guided khalifahs and the great imams and jurists.

It is desirable to eat an odd number of dates and drink some Water before leaving for the �Eid al-Fitr prayer. If dates are not available then anything else that is pure is acceptable. This is because the Prophet did not eat on �Eid al-Fitr until he had eaten dates (Bukhari). It is recommended to take a bath, clean the teeth, Wear perfume (men only) and to wear the best available clean clothes. It is recommended to walk to the musalla saying takbir and to return via a different route.

Salat al-�Eid should be performed in a public place, accessible to everyone and preferably an open space (musalla) outside of the town where the people of all the mosques in the town gather in one group under one imam. In difficult circumstances it may be prayed in the mosque. The congregation should consist of at least three people other than the imam. The time of �Eid prayer starts approximately thirty~?ve minutes after sunrise and lasts until noon. There is no adhan or iqamah for �Eid Prayer, which consists of two rak�ahs. Its distinguishing feature is the extra takbirs. After the prayer it is smmah to remain sitting and to listen to the Khutbah. It is smmah for the imam to deliver two khutbahs after the �Eid prayer and teach people the rules about Sadaqah al-Fitr and remind people of the duties of that day. It is recommended for people to greet each other after the prayer. The Companions used to meet one another by saying, �May Allah accept it from us and from you.