Ramadan: Purify your fast by giving Zakat Al Fitr

It is a great sight to see the celebrations of having accomplished the full month of fasting and Muslims gearing up for Eid Al Fitr which is one of the rewards. We all rustle up sumptuous dishes and wear new and pretty attire on the occasion. But what about those who cannot afford a square meal on the day of celebrations?

Islam is a religion of compassion and so it tells Muslims not to forget their brethren on the festive occasion and share with them at least some food which they can have on that day. And Zakat Al Fitr is the amount of food that we give at the end of Ramadan so that poor Muslims can have something to eat on Eid. Zakat Al Fitr is not to be confused with zakat. It is a must for each and every Muslim, adult or minor, male or female. It is said that Zakat Al Fitr purifies the Muslim and the sins he committed in Ramadan. It also spreads love and solidarity in society. Zakat Al Fitr aims to make the poor happy and save them the trouble of asking for money on the joyful event of Eid Al Fitr. It shows the poor that society does not forget them.

The purpose of Zakat Al Fitr is to purify one who fasts from any indecent act or speech and to help the poor and needy. It is incumbent on every free Muslim who possesses one Sa of dates or barley which is not needed as a basic food for himself or his family for the duration of one day and night. Every free Muslim must pay Zakat Al Fitr for himself, his wife, children, and servants. (One Sa’ equals approximately three kilograms).

The required amount of Zakat ul Fitr is one Sa’ of wheat, rice or corn or similar items considered as basic foods.

The jurists agree that Zakat Al Fitr is due at the end of Ramadan. They differ, however, about the exact time. While many believe that is due at the sunset of the night of breaking the fast, for this is when the fast of Ramadan ends. While many others say that Zakat Al Fitr is due at the start of Fajr (dawn) on the day of Eid because it is an act of worship connected with Eid. However, it is up to you to decide the best time as we shall not engage here in deciding who is correct. Pay after Magrib on the last day of Ramadan or during Fajr time, as you wish. It is not permissible to delay giving Zakat Al Fitr after the day of Eid (i.e. on+e may give it up to the time of the Eid prayer). However, there are some jurists who think that it is permissible to delay giving it even after the Eid prayer. Anyway, the founders of the four accepted Islamic legal schools agree that Zakat Al Fitr is not nullified simply by failure to pay it on its due time. If it is not paid before Eid prayer, one is not exempt from it. It becomes a debt payable even after death. The heirs must not distribute the deceased’s legacy before payment of the deceased’s unpaid.

Al Qaradawi explains the reasons for these differences in opinion by saying that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pay Zakat Al Fitr after Fajr prayer by the day of Eid but before the Eid prayer for the reason that the Muslim community was still small and limited in number. During the time of the Companions the payment was made one or two days before the Eid.

After the spread of Islam the jurists permitted its payment from the beginning and middle of Ramadan so as to ensure that the Zakat Al Fitr reached its beneficiaries on the day of Eid, thereby avoiding the possibility that the process of distribution would delay reception of the payment after the day of Eid. After explaining the different views regarding the time of payment, Sheikh Atiyyah Saqr stated that these differences of opinion among the jurists justify some leniency for Muslims in regard to the time of payment, and therefore a Muslim can pay at any of these times. He also took the view that paying it at different times gives the poor and needy the opportunity to benefit from Zakat Al Fitr and fulfil their needs for longer periods.

These differences are due to taking into consideration both the needs of the poor and the opportunity of getting to the wisdom behind the obligation of Zakat Al Fitr. Therefore, the most acceptable and practical approach is to apply whichever practice fulfils the purpose and wisdom behind Zakat Al Fitr, that is bringing happiness to the poor on the day of Eid and giving their children a chance to enjoy this day as others do.

(Times Of Oman / 07 July 2015)

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Lessons from Ramadan

It is always good to ponder the true meaning of our religious practices. The month of Ramadan has started and almost 1.5 billion Muslims around the globe are fasting, taking part in an individual and spiritual journey as well as a communal religious celebration.

Ramadan is a time to come back to our selves; to come back to our families, our communities, and our societies. It is time for meditating on and for assessing our lives. Beyond being a religious obligation—and often a family tradition—fasting is a school with different levels of knowledge, understanding and commitment.

For every single believer, fasting is an opportunity to think deeply about the meaning of life, its priorities and objectives. We stop eating and drinking during the day, the better to master ourselves to hold in check the human features of our being while we attempt to touch the positive aspiration within us, like a divine spark in our hearts. There is nothing easy about Ramadan: it demands physical effort to gain spiritual achievement. Here lies the meaning of education (tarbiyya) in Islam, as the Lord is the Supreme Educator (ar-Rabb). 

Thus, the main objective is to reform and purify ourselves, our bodies, our minds, our hearts through demanding exercises, such as praying, fasting and paying zakah (the purifying social tax). It is not enough not to eat, not to drink and to avoid sex: to fast is to rediscover a philosophy of life that demands constant effort to improve, and to reconcile ourselves with the values and the objectives we have set for our lives. To fast is to rediscover the meaning of mercy (rahmah) and compassion, starting with our own selves. It implies that we remain trustful, optimistic and stop being overcome with guilt. The month of Ramadan is the month of mercy and peace (salam), inner peace as well as peace in the community. It is a month of love, when we show our love to the Most Loving One (al-Wadud) and spread love around us towards our parents, our children, our fellow human beings and especially the poor. This is the way the Most Loving will love us, reminding us by saying “Call me I shall respond to you”, “come to me walking I shall come running to you.” The One God is closer to every one of us than our jugular vein. He is so near (Qareeb) that He is the caring and loving Witness (Shaheed) to all that we do.

Ramadan is the time when the search for life’s meaning, for self-restraint and discipline should prevail over superficial desires, illusions and artificial appetites. It is time to eat less; to meditate and give more. Unfortunately, the statistics are cause for concern: Muslims tend to eat more during the month of Ramadan, ending the fasting days with large and festive meals, or even banquets, turning the month of spiritual restraint into a month of material opulence and excessive consumption. Some Christians have expressed concern about Christmas becoming a kind of family tradition, losing its spiritual meaning and justifying, with a spiritual veneer, the consumerist system of capitalism. People give more during Christmas because people spend more on food, fashionable products, etc. It has become a period of buying and selling: good for the marketplace but not very good for the soul. Muslims should be aware that they might end up doing the same with Ramadan: many are more interested in Ramadan’s nights (of eating and even partying) than in its days of restraint and moderation. Many Muslims are transforming Ramadan into a copy of Christmas: they end up spending more, eating more and forsaking the spiritual objectives of their fast. Reform must start with our selves, by controlling our consumption and deepening our understanding.

Ramadan is also a month of human solidarity. While we may experience hunger until sunset, people are starving to death in many countries and especially in Somalia over these last weeks and months. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was always generous but even more so during the fasting days. To fast signifies to become closer to the Only One, the First, and to care for the last ones, the poor, the disenfranchised, and the excluded. This is the time to give of one’s time, one’s money, and one’s heart. The spiritual meaning of solidarity is nurtured by the way we deal with our own selves: we should not give to justify, or to excuse our laziness, our lack of commitment, our contradictions or even our lies. The spiritual quality of our giving depends on our personal struggle to be better and more dignified individuals. Our personal self-discipline during Ramadan teaches us that the way we give is as important in the sight of God as what we give. He calls upon us to remain dignified and to give to people with dignity, be they Muslims or people of other faiths, whose dignity we respect profoundly, dearly. This is the meaning of the Qur'anic verse: “We (God) assuredly gave dignity to human beings” (Al-Isra' 17: 70), female, and male, white and black, rich and poor, Muslims or not.

Fasting also involves justice, as we pay attention to our heart’s rights and to our spiritual needs. To fast is an act of justice towards the self. It should also be an act of justice towards human beings around the world, those who are oppressed and unjustly treated. God is the Just and He commands justice, as the Qur'an tells us. This is the message we Muslims should never forget as we watch Syrian and Bahraini civilians being killed while they demand justice, freedom and dignity. Our hearts and prayers should be with the oppressed, acknowledging that resistance against the oppressors is legitimate, especially in non-violent ways, and especially during Ramadan. To fast is to make ourselves aware of the implications of how we behave and of what we consume. Supporting the people of Syrian and the ongoing protests throughout the Arab world is consistent with this month of love, compassion, solidarity and justice. It also means we must check what we eat, to avoid and boycott products coming from occupying countries or occupied territories. How could we fast and at the same time eat dates exported by Israel, stained with the blood of so many innocent Palestinians. Fasting is awareness, commitment to justice and peaceful resistance.

Between an individual’s spiritual experience and that of the community, there is one common dimension that defines fasting. To fast is an act of liberation. To fast is to liberate one’s self from one’s ego, one’s selfishness, and one’s illusions in order to reach the true inner freedom of those who are at peace with themselves. To fast means to free society from artificial collective emotions, consumerism, insane competition and love of power in order to set ourselves free from injustice, oppression and war. Eventually to fast means to learn individually and collectively to give, to resist and to serve. In the light of our love of the One, and from our human perspective, to serve is to be spiritually freer than to be served.

(On Islam / 15 July 2013)

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5 Things Everyone Should Know About Ramadan 2013

It is one of the five pillars of Islam and is known to be month of reflection and complete submission to Allah (God). Here are five things everyone should know about Ramadan.

1. Ramadan is recognized to be the month in which the first verses of the holy Quran were revealed to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. Layalat Al-Qadir is said to be the anniversary of the actual day when the Quran was presented to Muhammad and in English it is known as “the night of power.” Layalat al-Qadir usually falls within the last 10 days of Ramadan and is commonly marked by gathering at a mosque and reciting the Quran until sunrise. Recitation of the entire Quran is also important to achieve throughout this month.

2. Eating and drinking is prohibited from sunrise to sunset. Fasting in Arabic is called sawm, and in English that means refrain. Fasting is supposed to teach self-discipline, patience and spirituality. However, participating in Ramadan is much more than not eating and drinking. People are encouraged to restrain themselves from any type of haram, or sin, including backbiting (or being catty), gossip, looking at unlawful things and using obscene words.

3. Breaking the fast is called “Iftar." The daily fast is traditionally broken with a bite of a fresh or dry date. This is preferred because the prophet Muhammad broke his fast on these middle-eastern fruits. If dates cannot be found, water is a good second choice.

4. Family bonding time is cherished and looked forward to in the month of Ramadan. Everyone’s busy schedules are put on hold as they get together around the dinner table to share the first and most important meal of the day. Typically, large amounts of food are prepared for iftar that include soup, salad, appetizers, a main course and dessert.

5. Eid Al-Fatur is the day that follows the last day of Ramadan. This holiday celebrates the arrival of a the new moon the day after Ramadan ends. Eid celebrations begin with the recitation of the prayer Salat al-Eid and visits with family and close friends. Homes are decorated festively with lights and banners and gifts of clothes or money are exchanged.

Ramadan Mubarak -- Have a blessed Ramadan!

(Pataluma Patch / 06 July 2013)

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Emirates Islamic Bank underlines significance of Ramadan with support for various initiatives

Emirates Islamic Bank (EIB) announced that it is one of the sponsors of the sixth Takatof Ramadan Project, launched recently by the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development.

The Ramadan project is in line with the vision of the Takatof initiative (Social Volunteering Programme), which seeks to create an interactive social network among all community segments with the aim of assisting disadvantaged families. 

This year, EIB and other partners will assist the Foundation to provide assistance in kind including, food coupons, blankets, clothes, school bags and other requirements. Other activities under the Takatof Ramadan programme include, repair and maintenance of mosques, visiting the sick and needy and distributing gifts.

"Traditionally, Ramadan is the month of giving and acts of charity and community support are extremely significant during this time," said Faisal Aqil, Deputy CEO, Consumer Wealth Management, Emirates Islamic Bank and Dubai Bank. "In keeping with our role as a leading Islamic finance institution, EIB is supporting various initiatives related to charity and social responsibility, including the Takatof Ramadan project and the Zakat Fund."

Emirates Islamic Bank is also serving as a key sponsor for the Zakat Fund Ramadan Campaign, which aims to emphasise the importance of Zakat during the Holy Month. The Zakat Fund is a federal body that facilitates Zakat, the annual charitable donations by Muslims.

Other Ramadan-focused activities at Emirates Islamic Bank include its support of the Al Ajer initiative and the partnership with Dar Al Ber Society. Al Ajer initiative was launched by Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed's Private Office to encourage people to understand the importance of forgiveness, while through its partnership with Dar Al Ber Society, EIB delivers daily Iftar meals to mosques across the UAE.

( Ame.Info / 14 August 2012)

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