In the Name of Allaah, the Most Merciful…

The Prophet (may Allaah raise his rank and grant him peace) ordered that Muslims give out zakaat al-Fitr at the end of Ramadhan – one saa’ of staple food on behalf of yourself and each person you are responsible for. [1]

In light of the beautiful and complete religion of Islam and the amazing benefits we reap when implementing it properly, we would like to remind ourselves with the benefits of distributing this form of charity personally, from our own hands, without the use of a third party.

I offer this advice to my brothers and sisters in Islam due to widespread use of charity organizations and community services, and some of the harms that result, or at least the loss of some great benefits that we should not be so prepared to forfeit.

1 – We will build bridges with poor people and get to know them personally.

Poor people are virtuous. The Messenger (may Allaah raise his rank and grant him peace) said, what means, “I saw Paradise and most of its people were the poor (of this life).” [2]

And another authentic hadeeth means, “The impoverished shall enter Paradise before the rich by 500 years.” [3]

So by seeking them out and giving them your Zakaat al-Fitr, you may gain the companionship of the righteous, even for a short time. This benefit is lost when giving through a third party.

Instead of saying, “But I don’t know any poor families, so how could I give out my zakaat al-Fitr personally…?”

Say: “Shame on me for not knowing any poor families! Let me rectify this negligence right now by giving my zakaat al-Fitr personally and getting to know some poor people.”

We may be justifying our reliance on third parties by the very weakness that zakaat al-Fitr has been legislated to cure!

2 – We will thus appreciate our own blessings a lot more.

The Prophet (may Allaah raise his rank and grant him peace) said, what means, “Look to those who have less than you, and do not look to those who have more. This is more appropriate so that you do not overlook (or undervalue) the blessings of Allaah that you have.” [4]

When you seek out poor people to give them your zakaat al-Fitr, you get a chance to see their real situation and the difficulties they face. This reminds you about the blessings of Allaah you have and makes you more grateful for them. This is lost when giving through a third party.

3 – It makes the theoritical sympathy built for them from a month of fasting something tangible, and brings it to a real, personal peak.

The scholars mention that from the many benefits of fasting is that we will feel sympathetic towards the poor, by realizing that the hunger we feel is experienced by them all year round. An entire month of daily hunger pains opens our hearts to them more than ever and pushes us to do something about it. This culminates with the charitable act of giving zakaat al-Fitr and putting food directly in their hands. Therefore, it is one way that the goals of fasting are actualized in the most complete and beneficial way.

4 – It breaks down social and economic barriars between Muslims.

The legislation of zakaat al-Fitr is one of the many ways that Islaam breaks down the social and economic barriers that divide the people. By distributing your food with others through community services, you as a person do not actually see the poor person, meet him, build a relationship, or do much about the existing barriers between the people. In fact, you may be further fostering the existence of social and economic classes that keep Muslims apart, by losing this great opportunity to make a needed change.

5 – It distances the Muslims from arrogance.

Since arrogance is so dangerous and counter-productive to the Muslims, our prefect Religion when practiced properly helps a Muslim overcome and/or remain distant from all manifestations of arrogance.

An arrogant man looks down on others, often those with less money. He does not want to see them, talk to them, or mix with them. Let us ask ourselves: Our constant reliance on third parties to deliver our zakaat al-Fitr… Could this be rooted in our own personal arrogance?

The heart is a delicate thing, and its defects and flaws are never easy to detect! How do you know for sure that your use of the third party is not related to a level of arrogance rooted in your heart, that you do not want to meet them yourself and spend some time talking with them and visiting them?

Humble and sincere Muslims will always reflect about points like this and inspect their hearts, while the truly arrogant are the ones who dismiss it as preposterous!

The Prophet (may Allaah raise his rank and grant him peace) said, what means, “Whoever has the smallest amount of arrogance in his heart shall not enter Paradise.” He further explained the meaning of arrogance as“Rejecting the truth and looking down on people.” [5]

6 – You will learn about their problems and be able to help them with things that are easy for you.

Delivering your own zakaat al-Fitr to a poor family and taking a moment to learn about their lives may give you some insight into certain problems they are facing that might be very easy for you to solve!

They may be having difficulty registering their children in school, and you could solve that easily through your connections. Five minutes of your time could solve a problem a family has been struggling with for years!

You may discover that their electricity is scheduled to be shut off soon and you could easily pay the $25 bill for them. Real needs of real people can be met through establishing real relationships.

The Prophet (may Allaah raise his rank and grant him peace) said, what means, “Whoever helps his brother, Allaah will help him. Whoever alleviates the burden of a Muslim, Allaah will alleviate a burden of his on the Day of Judgment.” [6]

How could this great benefit be attained by giving your zakaat al-Fitr through a third party?

7 – We could give priority to those whom Allaah has given priority to.

Allaah has mentioned two types of poor people in His Book, miskeen and faqeer. [7] The scholars have different opinions about the difference between them, and the best two definitions are summarized below:

Miskeen: a poor person who barely meets his basic needs, or a poor person who asks others to help fulfill his financial needs.

Faqeer: an impoverished person who can not meet his basic needs, or a poor person who does not ask for financial help.

So based on both distinctions, the faqeer has more right to be assisted than a miskeen, and thus, Allaah mentions the faqeer first in the Verse about Zakaat, giving him priority over the miskeen. [7]

The reality of most third party services – When social services are used, a community organization commonly amasses many people’s zakaat al-Fitr and distributes it to poor people. The reality is often a truck pulling up to the main road of a poor neighborhood. A crowd of people gather, while a man standing in the bed of the truck will often hand down (or even throw) bags of rice into a crowd of people fighting over each bag.

The point is – The faqeer whom Allaah has honored with patience is more deserving of that food, yet he will not disgrace himself by running after the truck and fighting with his neighbors to grab something for his family. By giving out the zakaat al-Fitr personally, we could target those who would not normally ask, and ensure that the faqeer is given priority over the miskeen, as Allaah legislated.

8 – We could avoid giving charity in a way that disgraces poor people.

If you have understood the reality of the manner in which many social services actually distribute the zakaat al-Fitr on your behalf (as mentioned in Point #7), then you might feel more comfortable giving your zakaat al-Fitr personally, in a way that allows the recipient to retain his honor and dignity.

Check back with us for part two of this article soon (in shaa’ Allaah)…

Written by: Moosaa Richardson

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim, for information about the size of the saa’, review this article.

[2] Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim

[3] Collected by at-Tirmithee who called it saheeh (authentic)

[4] Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim

[5] Collected by Muslim in his Saheeh

[6] Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim

[7] See: Soorah at-Towbah (9:60)