Tripoli: The Dar Al-Iftaa has announced that the amount of Zakat al-Fitr for this year is set at 8 Libyan dinars in cash per person. In addition to the monetary amount, individuals are required to contribute two and a quarter kilograms of wheat and two kilograms of rice per person.
According to Libyan News Agency, the Dar al-Iftaa’s Facebook page released a statement explaining that Zakat al-Fitr is a compulsory act of charity mandated by the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) for every able-bodied Muslim, regardless of age or gender. It is incumbent upon a Muslim to pay it on their own behalf and for those they are responsible for. The charity is to be distributed from the country’s staple foods during Ramadan as a means of purifying the fasting individual and supporting the poor. It should be given specifically to the country’s needy, calculated as one sa’ (four mudds) according to the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) mudd. The prescribed amounts are 2.25 kilograms of wheat and 2 kilograms of rice per person.
The statement further noted that some scholars, including prominent figures like Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, Abu Hanifa, al-Bukhari, and Ibn Taymiyyah, have allowed the payment of Zakat al-Fitr in cash if it benefits the poor. This view is also supported by later Maliki scholars. The cash equivalent for this year stands at 8 dinars, which is approximately 8 US dollars.
The statement emphasized that Zakat al-Fitr should be paid before the Eid prayer. If paid after the prayer on Eid day, it is still valid but with diminished reward. It is also permissible to make the payment two or three days prior to Eid.