Back to search

Is the fatwa that specifies two minimum thresholds (nisab) for Zakat al-Fitr correct: one being the value of a sa' of food for those who do not possess the nisab for Zakat on wealth, and the other being one-third of the nisab for Zakat on currency for those who do possess it? And has any of the imams of fiqh or the madhahib (schools of thought) ever stated this?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The jurists have agreed that the obligatory amount for zakat al-fitr is one sa' from all types of permissible foodstuffs for its distribution, except for wheat and raisins. Regarding these two, they differed in the amount. The Malikis, Shafi'is, and Hanbalis held that the obligatory amount is one sa' of wheat, while the Hanafis maintained that the obligatory amount is half a sa' of wheat. The same applies to raisins according to one opinion of the Hanafis, while another opinion of the Hanafis states that a full sa' of raisins is required.

Zakat al-fitr is not related to the nisab of money. Whoever possesses a nisab of gold, silver, or paper currency must give one sa' of zakat al-fitr, and there is no difference between them and one who does not possess a nisab of these. What the jurists differed on is the description of the incapable person for whom zakat al-fitr is waived. The Hanafis stated that it is one who does not possess a nisab of any zakatable wealth, while the majority of jurists stated that it is one who does not possess more than what suffices for their own sustenance and the sustenance of their dependents on the day of Eid al-Fitr.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy