A time to fast, and a time to give

Naiga, Kayima, and Robina “Bina Baby” Mbabazi hand over sadaq to Faridah Nabagga (2nd L) and one of her daughters Zahara Firdaus Ndagire (L).Muslims are encouraged to give food the poor so that they too share in breaking the fast. PHOTO by ISMAIL KEZAALA

What you need to know:

Muslims are encouraged to give alms, especially during Ramadhan. This alms giving is two-fold as Leilah Nalubega writes

“Whoever gives food to one who is fasting will have a reward like the fasting person without detracting in the slightest from the reward of the latter,” Holy Prophet Muhammad said.
For Muslims, the joy of giving is overwhelming when one shares his wealth with the less fortunate during the holy month of Ramadhan. It is in this month that the act of charity in all its manifestation is seen most at every Muslim home.
While fasting, during Ramadhan, Muslims are instructed to abstain from drinking, eating, idle talk and foul language. They are encouraged to pay special attention to remembrance of God through prayers and charity.
As one of the five pillars of Islam, charity is considered to be an integral part of a Muslim’s devotion to their faith.

Background
An example is given of the Holy Prophet Muhammed who was mindful of the needs of the less fortunate. His kindness was a daily occurrence, so much so that it was associated to a breeze, consistently bringing comfort to the needy.
During the fasting period, however, it is narrated that the charity of the Holy Prophet would increase so much that his giving would become like strong gales of wind. Therefore, charity and service to the needy and society are an integral part of a Muslim’s duties during a blessed month of Ramadan. .

Two ways of giving
Among the Muslims, charity is into two categories. There is the obligatory charity which is generally called Zakat ul-Fitr, and voluntary charity referred to as Sadaq.
Hajj Nsereko Mutumba, the public relations officer of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, says obligatory fasting is the giving part of one’s wealth to the poor members of the community and it is given depending on the way one has been feeding during Ramadhan.
“A Muslim who is financially stable and sane is obliged to pay Zakat ul-Fitr two to three days before the Ramadhan month ends.” Hajj Mutumba says.
In Islam, voluntary charity can be a donation to promote Islam or to support a religious cause such as building mosques, schools, hospitals, or to provide for the upkeep and support of orphans and widows. It is given after fulfillment of the Zakat ul-Fitr obligation.
“The main purpose of charity (Zakat ul-Fitr) is to provide the poor with a means with which they can celebrate the festival of breaking the fast (Eid ul-Fitr) along with the rest of the Muslims.” Mutumba adds.

Benefits of giving
Hajj Mutumba says charity is a source of blessings to Muslims, during the holy month of Ramadhan because it increases the wealth of the community as a whole, and at the same time it purifies the giver’s heart of the inordinate love of wealth, which brings numerous sins in its train.
In Islam, Ramadhan is the month of patience, and the reward of patience is paradise. It is also the month of helping each other. Whoever (in that month) gives food for breaking the fast to a fasting one, his or her past deed will be forgiven. He will get the same rewards as that fasting man without reducing his rewards.

Who is required to give
“Charity is not just recommended by Islam, it is required of every financially stable Muslim because giving charity to those who deserve it is part of a Muslim character,” Sheikh Mahmood Kibaate, the acting Supreme Mufti, says.
According to Islamic tradition, Sheikh Kibaate says Prophet Muhammad made Zakat al-Fitr compulsory on every freeman, male, female, young and old among the Muslims.
“Muslims give out charity to different categories of people which include the poor, needy, collectors of charity (Zakat al-Fitr), reconciliation of hearts, freed captives and the debtors,” he says.
Sheikh Abdallah Khaalid Ddiba, a resident of Entebbe Municipality, explains that with regard to the young and those not of sound mind, it should be paid on their behalf by their legal guardian from their own wealth if they have or if not, they take the ruling of those who are unable to pay on their own behalf.
“If a woman is the head of the household, she must pay on her own behalf and for her dependents because the head of the household is obliged to pay the required amount for the other members of the family,” Sheikh Ddiba says.

What and when to give
Sheikh Ddiba adds that there are various forms in which Muslims give out charity. With obligatory charity Zakāh al-Fitr, Muslims tend to give it as staple food of the country in which one resides. In Uganda, Muslims give out rice, matooke, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, and flour or wheat among others.
“It is particularly emphasised that the distribution be before the Eid prayers in order for the needy who receive to use the given portion to provide for their dependents on the festival of breaking the fast (Eid al-Fitr),” he adds.

The cost of not giving
As a levy on the fasting Muslim, Sheikh Ddiba says that one’s fasting of the month of Ramadhan will be hanging between earth and heavens and it will not be raised up to the Divine Presence without paying the obligatory charity (Zakat al-Fitr).
He says voluntary charity is only for a particular period of time. If one misses the period without a good reason, he has sinned and cannot make it up. This form of charity becomes obligatory from sunset on the last day until the beginning of `Eid Prayer (shortly after sunrise on the following day).
The service of humanity and the improvement of the condition of the poor have always been among the principal aims and objects of all Muslims and this contact between the various levels of society helps to build real bonds of brotherhood and love within the Islamic community. It trains those who have to be generous and even those who do not have.

Zakat ul-Fitr at a glance

Zakat ul-Fitr is often referred to as Sadaqat ul-Fitr. The word Fitr means the same as Iftar, breaking a fast and it comes from the same root word as Futur which means breakfast. Thus, Islamically, Zakat ul-Fitr is the name given to charity which is distributed at the end of the fast of Ramadhan. The main purpose of Zakat ul-Fitr is to provide those who fasted with the means of making up for their errors during the month of fasting. Items other than food such as money, clothes, furniture, etc. cannot be given as Zakat ul-Fitr because it is contrary to what the Prophet commanded and what Allah wants.
- sunnahonline.com