WHO ARE THE RECIPIENTS OF SADAQA AL-FITR?

The locations for disbursing both sadaqa al-fitr and zakat are the same. Therefore, those ineligible for zakat are also ineligible to receive sadaqa al-fitr. Those who are not entitled to accept sadaqa al-fitr are as follows: people deemed rich by Islam, in other words, those in possession of wealth equivalent to nisab, irrespective of it being augmentable or not, the wife of the benefactor, parents and grandparents alike, as well as children, grandchildren and others whom the benefactor is obliged to look after. The benefactor should give priority to the poor within close vicinity, relatives even if they are far, and students. Instead of giving sadaqa al-fitr only to one person, the benefactor may choose to distribute it among a few people—although bearing in mind that sadaqa al-fitr should ultimately take care of a person’s daily sustenance, it is perhaps wiser, or more easily accomplished, to present it to one person. Moreover, sadaqa al-fitr collected from a few donors can be given to one single recipient.