KARACHI: Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman, the former chairman of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee and a renowned Islamic scholar, announced that the minimum amount for Sadqa-e-Fitr had been fixed at Rs320 for the current year (2023).
Sadqa-e-Fitr is an obligatory charitable donation that Muslims must pay during the holy month of Ramadan, and the rate is based on the prices of staple food items such as flour, dates, raisins, cheese, or barley, as per Islamic Shariah.
Importance of Sadqa-e-Fitr
The importance of Sadqa-e-Fitr lies in helping the poor and needy people in society, especially during the festive occasion of Eidul Fitr. This act helps the poor and needy during the upcoming Eidul Fitr and is a way for Muslims to give back to their community and earn blessings from Allah Almighty.
Calculation of Fitrana
According to Mufti Muneeb, the market price of 2.25 kilogrammes of flour is used to calculate the Fitrana amount, which is Rs320 per head. Those who want to pay Fitrana equal to the price of barley and dates should pay a minimum of Rs480 and Rs2,800 per head, respectively. Similarly, those who want to pay Fitrana at the rate of raisins should pay Rs6,400 per head for first-class dates and Rs4,800 per person for second-class raisin.
Obligation to pay Sadqa-e-Fitr
Muslims who possess food in excess of their needs must pay Sadqa-e-Fitr before Eid prayers. If the person is a breadwinner, he should also pay Sadqa-e-Fitr for his dependents, such as his wife, children, dependent relatives, or servants.
The deserving recipients of Sadqa-e-Fitr
Mufti Muneeb advised people to pay the amount to the poor before Eid-ul-Fitr so that they could also celebrate the festival. The most deserving people for Sadqa-e-Fitr are close relatives followed by neighbours and the poor.
Kufara (compensation) for missed fasts
If anyone is unable to keep fast for the whole month of Ramadan, he or she should pay compensation worth Rs 9,600 for the whole month of missed fasts in proportionate to the price of flour. Similarly, the compensation for missing 30 fasts in wheat would be Rs19,200, for barley, Rs168,000, dates, Rs384,000, raisin first-class, Rs192,000, and second-class raisin, Rs288,000.
Advice to the wealthier individuals
Mufti Muneeb advised the wealthier individuals to try to pay more to extend assistance to the poor in this time of skyrocketing inflation
(Islamabad51-Newsdesk)
