Sadaqat-ul- Fitr, also known as Zakat-ul-Fitr, amount has been fixed at Rs 50 per person, Jammu and Kashmir Grand Mufti, Nasir-ul lslam announced on Sunday, asking Muslims to pay it before prayers of Eid-ul-Fitr.
The amount of Sadaqat-ul- Fitr is the same for everyoneregardless of their different income brackets.
The Grand Mufti said that Sadaqat-ul-Fitr is a duty requiredof every Muslim and becomes obligatory to pay it before the beginning of Eidprayer and could be given from beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.
Mufti Nasir-ul Islam said that it is Wajib (mandatory) uponsuch a person who owns assets, which equal the value of the Nisab.
“The owner of Nisab in the ruling as regardsSadaqat-al-fitr is such a person who has 7 1/2 Tola gold (93 grams 312milligrams) or 52 1/2 Tola silver (653 grams 184 milligrams), or any other formof asset. Each person should give away in charity an amount equivalent to 1.760Kilograms of wheat,” he added.
He said the main purpose of Zakat al-Fitr is to provide thepoor with a means with which they can celebrate the festival Eid al-Fitr alongwith the rest of the Muslims.
Quoting Hadith, he said: “Every Muslim is required topay Zakat-ul-Fitr at the conclusion of the month of Ramadan as a token ofthankfulness to Allah for having enabled him or her to observe the obligatoryfast. Its purpose is: as a levy on the fasting person. The fasting of the monthof fasting person will be hanging between earth and heavens and it will not beraised up to the Divine Presence without paying the Zakat al-Fitr.”
He said that it can be given to a poor and needy but not forthe construction purposes of Masjids and any other another structures.
“There is no harm for any person who is wealthier andwant to pay more than Rs 50 per person as fixed for this year,” he said.