Zakātul Fiṭr is for the poor (Faqīr) and needy (Miskīn), as mentioned in the ḥadīth of Ibn ‘Abbās: “The Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) obligated Zakātul Fiṭr as a purif

➢ 13. Does the recipient have to be Muslim? Undoubtedly, the needy Muslims are more deserving of this, so one should strive to give his Zakātul Fiṭr to those Muslims in need. And most of the scholars have said that Zakātul Fiṭr must be distributed to the Muslims. ➢ 14. Can one poor person receive multiple donations? It's permissible to distribute Zakātul Fiṭr to a number of poor people or to give it all to one poor person - especially if they are few in number. But if they are many, it is more appropriate to distribute it as broadly as possible because the purpose of Zakātul Fiṭr is to cover the needs of the poor on the day of ’Eid, not to gather and store food for a long term. 🔺Note: if a poor person is given excess Zakātul Fiṭr such that it exceeds his needs and the needs of his dependants on the night and day of ’Eid, it becomes obligatory upon them to also give Zakātul Fiṭr. ➢ 15. What if I can't find anyone to give Zakātul Fiṭr to? The Sunnah is to distribute Zakātul Fiṭr in the same country that a person fasted in. However, if there is more benefit in giving it overseas, such as sending to one's poor relatives, or the need is greater overseas, or in the case where there's no poor people in that region, then it's permissible to entrust someone overseas to distribute Zakātul Fiṭr on your behalf. And in this case the deadline is set according to the country of the one entrusting - not the one who is entrusted. It's also permissible for the poor to entrust someone to collect their Zakātul Fiṭr on their behalf. ➢ 16. When is one required to pay Zakātul Fiṭr? There are three periods: (1) Allowed period (2) Obligatory period (3) Preferred period • The allowed period for is 1 - 3 days before the end of Ramaḍhān; as Ibn ‘Umar raḍhiyallāhu ‘anhu said: “they used to give (Zakātul Fiṭr) a day or two before the end of Ramaḍhān.” [Bukhāri] And in the narration reported by Mālik, it mentions “three days.” The Sharī‘ah has given this allowance as sometimes it's not possible to collect and deliver Zakātul Fiṭr to the rightful recipients without beginning the process two or three days in advance. As for earlier than this, then most of the scholars have said that it's not permissible due to the lack of evidence permitting that. • The obligatory period begins after sunset on the final day of Ramaḍhān according to the strongest opinion. Thus, if someone accepts Isām after sunset, or a child is born after sunset, it becomes obligatory to give Zakātul Fiṭr on their behalf. And on the contrary, if someone dies before sunset on the last day of Ramaḍhān, it is not obligatory to pay Zakātul Fiṭr on their behalf. • The preferred period is on the day of ’Eid before the ’Eid prayer. Abū Sa‘ēd raḍhiyallāhu ’anhu said: “During the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), we used to give (Zakātul Fiṭr) on the day of ’Eid...” [Bukhāri & Muslim] Likewise, Ibn ’Umar raḍhiyallāhu ’anhu reported that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ ordered that the Ṣadaqatul Fiṭr should be paid before the people go out for prayer. [Bukhāri & Muslim] ➢ 17. When is the deadline for giving Zakātul Fiṭr? The time for giving Zakātul Fiṭr ends as soon as the ‘Eid prayer ends. The proof for this is the ḥadīth of Ibn ’Abbās raḍhiyallāhu ’anhu, that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever pays it before the prayer, it is an accepted Zakāh (i.e. Zakātul Fiṭr), and whoever pays it after the prayer, it is ordinary charity (i.e. It's not accepted as Zakātul Fiṭr).” [Abū Dāwūd - graded 'Ḥasan' by Sheikh Muḥammad Ādam Al-Ithyobi in Dhakhīrat Al-’Uqbā] ➢ 18. I was unable to give Zakātul Fiṭr before ‘Eid Ṣalāh, do I still have to give it, and will it be accepted?