Islam places huge emphasis on charity, making social welfare everybody’s responsibility. From the Islamic perspective, charity provides an opportunity for purification of wealth. It is a great way for the fortunate ones to thank Allah SWT for His gifts and blessings by looking after those who are less fortunate. In the Quran, Allah SWT associates those negligent in charity with those who do not believe in the Day of Judgment.
“Have you seen the one who denies the ˹final˺ Judgment?
That is the one who repulses the orphan,
and does not encourage the feeding of the poor.” [Al-Maun 1-3]
The above-mentioned warning means it is a must to treat the needy and the orphans kindly. It is everyone’s duty to help the poor with their money or by encouraging other to do so. There are different types of donations in Islam, obligatory and voluntary. Fidya, Kaffara, Zakah and Zakat-al-Fitr come under the category of compulsory charity. While Sadaqah is a general donation made solely for the pleasure of Allah SWT. While there are different categories, the purpose of the charity is the same. It aims to eradicate absolute poverty in the community. All types of donations help charities like UKIM make a real impact on deprived areas and make a positive difference to the lives of most vulnerable individuals.
The importance of charity increases manifold in the holy month. Ramadan is one of the most blessed months when good deeds are multiplied. This is the month of Mercy; engaging in acts of generosity is bound to bring the abundant Mercy of Allah SWT to those involved in charitable acts. The believers strive to do more charitable deeds in Ramadan, following the example of the Prophet SAW. The Prophet of Allah SWT used to increase his charity significantly during the Noble month. The companions equated the Prophet’s charity in Ramadan to racing winds, according to the narrations of Bukhari and Muslim.
Besides the virtues, Ramadan is a time of certain donations like Fidya, Kaffarah and Zakat-al-Fitr. Muslims also try to pay Sadaqah and Zakah in Ramadan. This makes the holy month a time for the greatest impact charity can make on the communities in need.
Fidya is a donation that has to be paid by those who find fasting incredibly hard. In addition to this, this kind of people are also unable to make up for the missed fasts later in the year. They have been given exemption from fasting, in cases of chronic illness, extreme old age or mental health issues for instance. However, fasting being a compulsory act, they have to compensate for this by paying fidya. In the following verse, Allah SWT says:
“Fast for a specific number of days, but if one of you is ill, or on a journey, (fast) on other days later. For those who can fast only with extreme difficulty, there is a way to compensate - feed a needy person. But if anyone does good of his own accord, it is better for him, and fasting is better for you, if only you knew.” [2:184]
There are several people who are exempt from fasting in Ramadan. These include young children, women during their menstrual period or postnatal bleeding, travellers, pregnant or breastfeeding women, the elderly who cannot tolerate fasting, the mentally disabled and the sick whom fasting will harm by worsening their condition.
The scholars have mentioned valid reasons for not fasting which are as follows:
While some of the above-mentioned people are able to make up for the missed fasts later e.g. menstruating women, some are not. For the latter type of exempt people, fidya has been prescribed.
If an individual is unable to fast because he is elderly or sick with no hope of recovery, then he is not obliged to fast. Instead of fasting, he should feed one poor person for each day. It was narrated from al-Bukhari that when Anas R.A. (a famous companion) grew old, for one or two years he fed a poor person with bread and meat, and he did not fast.
Fidya is a mandatory charity that must be paid in most circumstances. Do not miss your Fidya payments and Donate to UKIM’s Fidya and Kaffara appeal to compensate for missed fasts.
Fidya has to be given to a poor person, to someone living in poverty who finds it hard to provide for himself or his family. It can be an adult or a child, according to scholars. The dependants of someone in need also fall in this category, to whom Fidya payments can be given.
Fidya needs to be paid by giving the local staple food. So, each day half a saa’ of the usual local staple food is to be given, and half a saa’ is equivalent to approximately one and half kilograms. When Fidya is paid through charities like UKIM, they buy food with the money donated for Fidya and distribute it to those who fit the category defined in the Quran and Sunnah.
Kaffarah is an expiation for breaking the fast intentionally. It is paid by those who are required to fast but break it without a valid reason. The Kaffara for doing so is fasting for two consecutive months or feeding sixty poor people from local staple food. To pay Kaffarah, you can donate to UKIM, specifying your amount for this purpose.
Fidya is compulsory on those unable to fast. Kaffarah becomes compulsory in the event of breaking a fast without a valid reason. The amount of Fidya is feeding one poor person for the day of missed fast. Whereas the Kaffarah of breaking a compulsory fast is to feed sixty needy people. The Kaffarah does not have to be paid financially as it can also be compensated by fasting for two consecutive months.
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