Zakat Fitrah

Eid Mubarak

Berlalu la sudah Ramadhan,

Sebulan berpuasa,

Tiba Syawal kita raikan,

Dengan Rasa Gembira.

Today is the first of Syawal. Today, the third baby turns 45 days.

I did not make any preparation. No new clothes except for the boys as they can no longer fit their baju Melayu. No baking, if any would be done may be later of the month. Did I even get pahala bonus during the lailatul qadar? I only have heavy heart living the holy month of Ramadhan and I pray I will be given the opportunity to perform better in next Ramadhan if there is next Ramadhan for me.

Truthfully, this year's celebration is not much of a celebration with the war going at Palestine and the brought down of MH17, both happened in the holy month of Ramadhan. Not to forget the earlier incident of MH 370, the never ending kidnappings at East Coast Sabah and many shrinking 'tongkang' departing the peninsular to neighboring country (ironically for celebration of the month of Ramadhan and Syawal).

The holy month of Ramadhan marks the performing of third pillar in Islam which is fasting and followed by performing Zakat Fitrah.

Definition of Zakat Fitrah:

Religious tax/alms/zakat paid on the day when Muslims break the fasting period at the end of the month of Ramadhan. This alms is known as Zakat al-Fitrah

(islamicnet.com)

Zakat dari segi syarak pula ialah mengeluarkan sebahagian harta tertentu diberikan kepada asnaf-asnaf yang berhak menerimanya setelah memenuhi syarat-syarat yang ditetapkan oleh syarak apabila terbenam matahari akhir Ramadhan sehingga terbit matahari esoknya.

 Syarak defines Zakat as giving part of certain wealth to asnaf who are qualified upon fulfilling Syarak conditions when the sun set at the eve of end Ramaadhan untill the rise of sun on the following day.

(Lembaga Zakat Selangor)

Zakat dari segi istilah fiqh bererti "Sejumlah harta tertentu yang diwajibkan Allah diserahkan kepada orang-orang berhak"

Zakat fitrah itu wajib dengan sebab lebaran pada bulan Ramadhan

 Fiqh defines Zakat as "An obligatory act (wajib) to give a part of certain wealth to the deserving"

Zakat fitrah is obligatory because eid at the end of Ramadhan

(Hukum Zakat, Dr. Yusuf Qardawi)

There are twenty seven verses in the Quran paired second pillar in Islam, perform five daily prayers with Zakat:

                                    

Waakimusolaata Waatuzzakaat

And perform As-solat and give zakat

Dan dirikan solat, dan tunaikan zakat

Giving zakat, the fourth pillar of Islam. The act of giving in the name of Allah is like a seed which grows seven spikes, in each spike is a hundred grains (2:261). It is a fact that the act of giving will make one becomes wealthier.