Question 769: Is Zakat al-Fitr obligatory, to whom does it belong, and can it be given to relatives?

Answer
✅Answer:
1 خَطَبَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ الْفِطْرِ فَقَال وَ أَدُّوا فِطْرَتَكُمْ فَإِنَّهَا سُنَّةُ نَبِيِّكُمْ وَ فَرِيضَةٌ وَاجِبَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ
📚Al-Faqih, Vol. 1, p. 517
The Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) said in his Eid al-Fitr sermon: Pay your Zakat al-Fitr, for it is the tradition of your Prophet and an obligatory duty from your Lord!
2 إِسحاق بن الْمُبَارَكِ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ صَدَقَةِ الْفِطْرَةِ أَ هِيَ مِمَّا قَالَ اللَّهُ أَقِيمُوا الصَّلاةَ وَ آتُوا الزَّكاةَ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ
📚Al-Tahdhib, Vol. 4, p. 89
Ishaq said: I asked Imam Kadhim (peace be upon him) about Zakat al-Fitr, whether it is one of the matters that Allah (in Surah al-Baqarah, verse 43) said: 'Establish the prayer and pay the zakat'? He said: Yes!
3 إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْداللَّه عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَقِيمُوا الصَّلاةَ وَ آتُوا الزَّكاةَ قَالَ هِيَ الْفِطْرَةُ الَّتِي افْتَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِين
📚Tafsir al-Ayyashi, Vol. 1, p. 42
Ishaq ibn Ammar said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the saying of Allah, the Exalted (in Surah al-Baqarah, verse 43), where He says: 'Aqeemu al-salata wa aatu al-zakah' meaning 'Establish the prayer and pay the zakat'; the Imam said: It is Zakat al-Fitr that Allah has made an obligation for the believers!
4 يُونُسَ بْنِ يَعْقُوبَ عن أَبِي عَبْداللَّه قال: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْفِطْرَةِ مَنْ أَهْلُهَا الَّذِي يَجِبُ لَهُمْ قَالَ مَنْ لَا يَجِدُ شَيْئاً
📚Al-Tahdhib, Vol. 4, p. 87
Yunus said: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about Zakat al-Fitr, who are its people to whom it is obligatory to pay it? He said: Anyone who finds nothing!
5 عن أَبِي عبداللَّه قال صَدَقَةُ الْفِطْرَةِ عَلَى كُلِّ رَأْسٍ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ الصَّغِيرِ وَ الْكَبِيرِ وَ الْحُرِّ وَ الْمَمْلُوكِ وَ الْغَنِيِّ وَ الْفَقِيرِ.... لِفُقَرَاءِ الْمُسْلِمِين
📚Al-Tahdhib, Vol. 4, p. 75
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Zakat al-Fitr is for every person, young and old, free and slave, poor and rich of your family, until he said: for the poor Muslims!
6 From Abu Abdillah, he said: I said to him: To whom is fitrah permissible? He said: To whoever finds nothing.
📚Al-Tahdhib, Vol. 4, p. 73
Fudayl said: I said to Imam Sadiq: To whom is it permissible to give Zakat al-Fitr? He said: To a person who finds nothing!
7 عن أَبِي عَبْداللَّه قال: خَمْسَةٌ لَا يُعْطَوْنَ مِنَ الزَّكَاةِ شَيْئاً الْأَبُ وَ الْأُمُ وَ الْوَلَدُ وَ الْمَمْلُوكُ وَ الْمَرْأَةُ وَ ذَلِكَ أَنَّهُمْ عِيَالُهُ لَازِمُونَ لَهُ
📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 552
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Five people are not given anything from zakat: the father, the mother, the child, the slave, and the wife, and the explanation for this is that they are his dependents and their maintenance is obligatory for him!
8 عَنْ أَبِي عَبْداللَّه قال: فِي الزَّكَاةِ يُعْطَى مِنْهَا الْأَخُ وَ الْأُخْتُ وَ الْعَمُّ وَ الْعَمَّةُ وَ الْخَالُ وَ الْخَالَةُ وَ لَا يُعْطَى الْجَدُّ وَ لَا الْجَدَّةُ
📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 552
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said about zakat: From it, it can be given to the brother and sister and paternal uncle and paternal aunt and maternal uncle and maternal aunt, and it is not given to the paternal grandfather and paternal grandmother!
9 عن أَبِي جَعْفَر و أَبِي عَبْداللَّه أَنَّهُمَا قَالا مَوْضِعُ الزَّكَاةِ أَهْلُ الْوَلَايَة
📚Al-Muqni'a, p. 39
Imam Baqir and Imam Sadiq (peace be upon them) said: The place of zakat is the people of wilaya (the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt)!
10 إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ سَعْدٍ الْأَشْعَرِيِّ عَنِ الرِّضَا قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الزَّكَاةِ هَلْ تُوضَعُ فِيمَنْ لَا يَعْرِفُ قَالَ لَا وَ لَا زَكَاةُ الْفِطْرَة
📚Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 547
Isma'il said: I asked Imam Reza (peace be upon him) about zakat, whether it can be given to others than the people of knowledge? He said: No, and not Zakat al-Fitr either!
1 1 Imam Askari wrote to Ibrahim ibn Uqbah: It is not appropriate for you to give your zakat except to a believer (Shi'a)!
📚Al-Tahdhib, Vol. 4, p. 87
✅From the above narrations and others, it is clear that Zakat al-Fitr is one of the types of obligatory zakats that is designated for Muslims who are people of wilaya and people of knowledge and are believers who are poor and find nothing. And other than the father, mother, child, wife, slave, grandfather, and grandmother, whose maintenance is obligatory for the person, it can be given to other poor relatives such as the sister, brother, paternal uncle, paternal aunt, maternal uncle, and maternal aunt, etc., provided they have the necessary conditions such as wilaya and poverty.