Is Fidyah Calculated the Same as Zakat al Fitr if Zakat al Fitr Is 15 Dollars?
Question
Assalamu alaikum shikhna, if zakat al fitr is 15 dollars this Ramadan, can we measure the fidyah based on it as well?
Answer
Alhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajmain.
This issue must be answered with precision because zakat al fitr and fidyah are two different rulings with two different bases, even though both relate to helping the poor.
1. The Shar‘i Context
Both zakat al fitr and fidyah are connected to feeding the poor, but they arise from different obligations.
Allah says regarding fidyah:
“And upon those who are unable to fast, a ransom of feeding a poor person.”
Surat al Baqarah 2:184
Zakat al fitr, on the other hand, was legislated to:
- Purify the fasting person from shortcomings
- Feed the poor on the day of Eid
Despite their different causes, both obligations are fulfilled by providing food to the poor.
2. Why Zakat al Fitr Cannot Be Used as the Standard for Fidyah
Zakat al fitr is limited by one sa of staple food, approximately three kilograms.
In Canada, three kilograms of rice may be valued at around 15 dollars. That valuation is tied to local food cost, not to fidyah itself.
Fidyah, however, is it‘am, feeding a poor person. It is not defined as one sa. It is defined by achieving feeding, regardless of where that feeding occurs.
If someone cannot fast for the entire month, that becomes thirty days of fidyah. Binding fidyah to a high fixed local amount would contradict the Sharia intent, especially when feeding can be fulfilled elsewhere at lower cost.
3. The Correct Measure of Fidyah
The criterion in fidyah is:
- Feeding one poor person for each missed day
This may be done by:
- Giving an actual meal
- Paying the cost of a meal where the poor live
Thus, feeding poor people in Pakistan, Africa, Yemen, or similar places at lower cost is valid, because the hukm is tied to feeding, not to a specific weight or local price.
4. Financial Hardship and Multiple Dependents
When fidyah applies to many days or multiple people, such as sick parents or a spouse, Sharia does not impose a rigid monetary equivalence that creates hardship.
Giving more locally is virtuous. Feeding locally is valid. Feeding abroad at lower cost is also valid. The obligation is fulfilled once feeding occurs.
5. Relevant Usul Principles (Corrected and Precise)
الفرق بين العبادات التوقيفية والمقدرة وبين العبادات المقصودة بالمعنى
There is a distinction between acts of worship fixed by specific measures and acts whose rulings are tied to achieving their intended meaning.
Zakat al fitr is muqaddarah (fixed by measure).
Fidyah is maqasidiyyah (tied to achieving feeding).
ما كان معلقًا بالمقصود لا يُقاس على ما كان معلقًا بالمقدار
What is tied to achieving an objective is not measured by what is tied to a fixed quantity.
Fidyah cannot be measured by zakat al fitr, because their legal attachments differ.
الإطعام يتحقق بما يُسمّى إطعامًا عرفًا
Feeding is fulfilled by what is customarily recognized as feeding.
As long as the poor are fed according to their context, the obligation is fulfilled.
المشقة تجلب التيسير
Hardship brings about ease.
Binding fidyah to an unnecessarily high local valuation contradicts this principle when lawful alternatives exist.
Final Ruling
Fidyah is not measured by zakat al fitr.
Zakat al fitr is restricted to one sa of staple food and paid once per person, which in Canada may be valued at 15 dollars.
Fidyah is it‘am, feeding one poor person for each missed day. It is not restricted to that amount and may be fulfilled by feeding poor people wherever feeding can be achieved, even at lower cost.
Giving more is virtuous, feeding locally is valid, and feeding abroad is equally valid. The obligation is fulfilled once feeding is achieved.
And Allah knows best.