Ramadan does not end with a feast but with a gift. Before the Eid prayer on the morning of the festival, every Muslim family gives food to the poor for each member of the household. The gift is called zakat al-fitr, the zakat of breaking the fast. It is small, it is the same for everyone, and it is different from the yearly zakat calculated on wealth.
For everyone, young and old
For every Muslim: man and woman, child and elder.
فَرَضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم زَكَاةَ الْفِطْرِ صَاعًا مِنْ تَمْرٍ، أَوْ صَاعًا مِنْ شَعِيرٍ عَلَى الْعَبْدِ وَالْحُرِّ، وَالذَّكَرِ وَالأُنْثَى، وَالصَّغِيرِ وَالْكَبِيرِ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَأَمَرَ بِهَا أَنْ تُؤَدَّى قَبْلَ خُرُوجِ النَّاسِ إِلَى الصَّلاَةِ
Ibn ʿUmar said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ made zakat al-fitr obligatory: one ṣāʿ of dates or one ṣāʿ of barley, on the slave and the free, male and female, young and old among the Muslims. And he ordered that it be paid before the people went out to the prayer.”
Unlike the yearly zakat, the amount does not depend on wealth. It is paid for every person, newborn babies included. The head of the household pays for everyone they provide for. The only condition is having more than is needed to feed the family on the day of Eid.
Why?
It purifies the fast and feeds the poor.
فَرَضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم زَكَاةَ الْفِطْرِ طُهْرَةً لِلصَّائِمِ مِنَ اللَّغْوِ وَالرَّفَثِ وَطُعْمَةً لِلْمَسَاكِينِ مَنْ أَدَّاهَا قَبْلَ الصَّلاَةِ فَهِيَ زَكَاةٌ مَقْبُولَةٌ وَمَنْ أَدَّاهَا بَعْدَ الصَّلاَةِ فَهِيَ صَدَقَةٌ مِنَ الصَّدَقَاتِ
Ibn ʿAbbās said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ made zakat al-fitr obligatory as a purification for the one who fasted from idle and indecent talk, and as food for the poor. Whoever pays it before the prayer, it is an accepted zakat. Whoever pays it after the prayer, it is a charity like other charities.”
Two purposes in one sentence. A fast is rarely perfect: one sharp word, one pointless conversation. The gift makes up for it. And on the day of the festival no one should go hungry: when everyone else is celebrating, the poor should be able to celebrate too.
How much?
One ṣāʿ: about four double handfuls of food.
The ṣāʿ is a measure of volume from the Prophet’s time, about four double handfuls. By weight it is usually reckoned at about 2.5 to 3 kilos of a staple food, such as rice, dates or flour.
Scholars differ on whether it can be paid in money. The Hanafi school allows it; other schools prefer the food itself. In Europe it is common for mosques and charities to accept money and buy food on people’s behalf, setting an amount per person each year. Ask your mosque what this year’s amount is.
When?
Before the Eid prayer, or a day or two earlier.
The Prophet ordered that it be paid before the prayer. And the companions sometimes paid it earlier:
وَكَانُوا يُعْطُونَ قَبْلَ الْفِطْرِ بِيَوْمٍ أَوْ يَوْمَيْنِ
“And they used to give it a day or two before the end of the fast.”
Eid al-Fitr 1448 is around 10 March 2027. If the gift goes through a charity that delivers it to the poor elsewhere, it is wise to pay a few days early so that it arrives in time.
Not the same as the yearly zakat
Muslims pay two kinds of zakat. The yearly zakat, zakat al-māl, is 2.5% of savings and assets above a minimum, paid once a year. You can calculate it here. Zakat al-fitr is also paid once a year, but it is the same small amount for each person and belongs to the end of Ramadan.
Give, remember, pray
First a gift, then a prayer. That is how Eid begins.
Giving
قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ
He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself
Al-Aʿlā 87:14
Praying
وَذَكَرَ ٱسۡمَ رَبِّهِۦ فَصَلَّىٰ
And mentions the name of his Lord and prays
Al-Aʿlā 87:15
Some early scholars linked these two verses to the morning of Eid: first one gives, tazakkā, from the same root as zakat, and then one goes to the prayer. Others read them more generally, as being about purity of heart. But the order fits: Ramadan ends by thinking of others, and the festival begins in prayer.