Sadaqa al-fitr must be paid by every free Muslim whose wealth meets one’s basic needs and has extra wealth equal to 600 grams of silver. A Muslim must pay it for himself, his wife, children, and servants at the end of Ramadan to purify those who fast, to protect them from indecent act or speech, and to help the poor and needy. It is given before the ‘Iyd prayer on the ‘Iyd (Religious Festive) Day. One who forgets to pay it, or cannot pay it at this time due to some valid excuse, must pay it when one remembers it or has no more excuse. Traditionally, sadaqat al-fitr has been calculated on the basis of, and paid as, wheat, barley, dates, and dried grapes. However, the amount to be paid must be sufficient to meet an average person’s daily food intake. It can be paid either in the kind, as mentioned above, or in its monetary equivalence.
Senturk, Omer Faruk. “Charity in Islam” Tughra Books Press. January 2007.
