ZAKATUL FITR: FOOD OR CASH?

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I made a case for the poor in my last Friday article titled “Hopeful in Ramadan; Hopeless after Ramadan”, Maxilens News published it with the title “Fate of the Poor Man after Ramadan”. Among other things, I discussed how the main objective of Zakat which is to eradicate poverty—or at least reduce it—has been defeated. I briefly touched on Zakatul Fitr without discussing it in detail. What I set out to do today is also not to discuss it in detail as this requires erudition which I do not claim. Details of Zakatul Fitr are found and well discussed in books of Islamic jurisprudence. However, there is a need to open or re-open discussion around dispensing Zakatul Fitr with cash instead of food.

A senior colleague of mine and friend sought my opinion on giving Zakatul Fitr—using money instead of food. He asked, “Being an informed person and a scholar, what is your take on this?” While I accept to be informed since I have access to some information regarding this issue, calling me a scholar is far away from the truth. Saying this, I am not being humble, I am only being factual. Scholars know themselves and, in most cases, do not blow their trumpets—they do not make noise.

This disclosure is very important and it should serve as a caveat to readers. That is to say, on this subject matter, readers should refer to their local but competent scholars. By competency, I am not referring to scholars who are stuck in some cherry-picked-classical-books which they memorized. These scholars actually live in the present but think primordially due to their love for the Sunnah. This is not to denigrate them, may Allah reward them immensely and grant them Paradise. By competency, I am referring to scholars who, in addition to their knowledge of exegesis, hadith, and jurisprudence, have learnt how to walk through the complex labyrinth of social reality while being guided by sacred knowledge.

Writing on this page—through this medium—I believe majority of readers are probably lay readers on the subject under discussion. Hence, I will avoid quoting scholarly works on Zakatul Fitr as this might bore lay readers. But it is instructive to say that there are basically two schools of thought. In one school are the majority of classical scholars who insisted that Zakatul Fitr can only be dispensed with eatables (food). Their evidence is the basic fact that that is the practice during the lifetime of the Prophet (SAW) who specifically listed some food items for it.

Yet, in the second school of thought are a group of classical scholars who considered money as substitute for food. It isn’t that they were not aware of the evidence of the other school of thought. They, despite that awareness, reasoned that money might be more satisfying to the poor than food under some circumstance. It should be noted, they do not hold that money should replace food as a must in principle. Their position is that money could be used in lieu of food if that becomes more useful to the poor.

But due to modernity and many of its challenges, the view which favours substitution of food for money is gaining acceptance. And to be clear, minority view is not in anyway inferior to majority view especially when the former is held by trustworthy scholars who are not known for deviance or misguidance. Imam Bukhari (RA), the great muhaddith (scholar of hadith), titled one of the chapters in his Saheeh “Zakat Paid in Kind” wherein he mentioned that Tawoos related that Mu’adh (RA) said to the people of Yemen, “Bring me small, or used garments in charity in place of barley and millet as it will be easy for you and useful for the Companions of the Prophet in Al-Madina.” Though this hadith is not quoted under the chapter on Zakatul Fitr, the point here is the sensibleness and logic in Mu’adh’s instruction.

What I always find disturbingly unfortunate is when scholars declare an act innovation just because they think it is carried out in a way that does not follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW) to the letter. What if the spirit of the Sunnah is followed? The intent of Zakatul Fitr is to make the poor happy by having sufficient eatables and disposables during the festive period. This is exactly what Mu’adh did in the hadith cited above. Mu’adh isn’t an ‘ordinary’ companion who is not known for knowledge. He is from the foremost and notable scholars among the companions (RA) and a leader. His ability to engage in ijtihad (juristic reasoning) was personally endorsed by the Prophet (SAW).

The famous rightly guided caliph ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Azeez would instruct his governors to collect Zakatul Fitr in cash. The Hanafites hold similar opinion. A leading Hambali, Sheikh ibn Taymiyyah, holds the same opinion and even makes reference to the Malikites and the Shafiates. He argues that as long as it benefits the needy, cash could be used. One of the foremost scholars among the successors of the companions, Abu Ishaaq al-Subai, said; “I came in contact with them giving Zakat in cash instead of food”. By “them” he was referring to the companions of the Prophet (RA).

Declaring a religious act an innovation has been a method adopted by some scholars to cow people into submission. They push for a domination of a single thought on issues where thoughts are reasonably and approvingly diverse. I laugh in amazement each time I listen to these genre of scholars, read their books, or read from their sites. I understand and appreciate their zeal to preserve the Sunnah (may Allah reward them), but no one has the monopoly of understanding; and a school of thought can not always be right. Acknowledging scholarly differences, appreciatively, is what makes a real scholar. So, imposing a single thought on jurisprudential subject—that is by nature amenable to change in the face of vicissitudes of time—is an abuse of scholarship. In fact, it removes dynamism from it. It makes scholarship uninterestingly dull and arid.

If those scholars mentioned above, including Mu’adh—a companion—did not commit innovation and are not innovators for considering permissibility or even preferability of cash in lieu of food, I find it ridiculous to declare people innovators for giving out Zakatul Fitr in cash. If food is what you consider the Sunnah, use food. If money makes sense to you, use money. Environment and realities influence opinions and interpretations of texts. I think some scholars are still struggling with this reality.

Where I live, people sell their Zakatul Fitr because money is what they need; and many who live elsewhere have similar experience. What is painful is that they sell it at a miserable price. A measure of foreign rice which is, for instance, N2, 200 will be sold by Zakat beneficiary for N1, 500 because they are in dire need of money. Exploitative food vendors too will seize the opportunity to exploit the needy. In this case, has the objective of Zakatul Fitr been achieved? If a Zakat giver had given money in the first place instead of rice, there would not be any need for desperation to get money by beneficiaries or exploitation by food vendors. This is common sense which is in line with the spirit of the Sunnah. It pays to be given N2, 200 than to sell rice of equivalent value for N1, 500.

All said, I personally prefer to give out food as Zakatul Fitr and that is what I have been doing. It has a symbolic importance which I am space constraint to highlight. What should be avoided is iron-clad religious rigidity when there is legitimate room for flexibility and dynamism. And why not give out food and added some money if the means is available? May Allah enrich us, accept our acts of worship, and our righteous supplications.

‘Idul Mubaarak and Happy Sallah in advance (I hope this form of greeting is not also an innovation).

Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com

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