The Time of Obligation for Zakat al-Fitr

Question
What is the time of obligation for Zakat al-Fitr?
Answer

I say, and with God's help: It is the time of the rising of the second dawn on the day of Eid, even if a child is born to him, or if he was a disbeliever and converted to Islam, or if he was poor and became self-sufficient. If this occurs before sunrise, Zakat al-Fitr is obligatory upon him, and if it is after, it is not obligatory. Similarly, if someone dies before the rising of dawn, his Zakat al-Fitr is not obligatory, but if he dies after it, it is obligatory; as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Your fasting is on the day you fast, and your breaking of the fast is on the day you break your fast,” as reported in Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3: 80 and graded as good, and in Sunan al-Daraqutni 2: 164: “The time of your breaking of the fast is on the day you break your fast.” The time of Zakat al-Fitr is specified to the day of Eid, as it is attributed to the day, and this attribution indicates specificity. The necessity of the time for Zakat al-Fitr is evident on that day; otherwise, the nights are all the same regarding Zakat al-Fitr, and the specificity does not appear. This clarifies that what is meant by Zakat al-Fitr is the charity of the day of Eid, thus the charity is attributed to the day of Eid, which is the reason for its obligation. Refer to: Al-Wiqayah p. 260, and Fath Bab al-'Inayah 1: 554, and Al-Hadiyyah al-'Alaiyyah p. 241, and Allah knows best.

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