The Time for the Obligation of Zakat al-Fitr

Question
What is the time for the obligation of Zakat al-Fitr?
Answer
It is the time of the second dawn of the day of Eid al-Fitr, even if he has a child born, or if he was a disbeliever and converted to Islam, or if he was poor and became wealthy. If this occurs before sunrise, the alms (Zakat al-Fitr) are obligatory upon him, and if it is after, they are not obligatory. Likewise, if someone dies before the dawn, his alms are not obligatory, but if he dies after it, they are obligatory; as the Prophet Muhammad (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," in Jami' al-Tirmidhi 3: 80, which is considered good, and in Sunan al-Daraqutni 2: 164: "Any time of your breaking of the fast is on the day you break your fast." The time of breaking the fast is specified to the day of Eid al-Fitr, as it is attributed to the day, and the attribution is for specification. The necessity of specifying the time for the alms is evident by the day; otherwise, all nights are equal regarding the alms, and the specification does not appear. Thus, it is clarified that what is meant by the alms of breaking the fast is the alms of the day of Eid al-Fitr, so the alms are attributed to the day of Eid al-Fitr, which is the reason for its obligation. See: Al-Wiqayah p. 260, and Fath Bab al-'Inayah 1: 554, and Al-Hadiyyah al-'Alaiyyah p. 241.
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