The Distinguished Jurists Primer by Ibn Rushd

From what kind of wealth is it due? A group of jurists held that it is due either in wheat, or dates, or barley, or in aqit (cheese made from sour milk), and that this is a choice of the person on whom it is obligatory. Another group of jurists held that it is obligatory upon him in the staple food of the land, or in the food of the mukallafif he does not possess the dominant staple food. This is what <Abd al-Wahhab has related as the opinion of the School’ (Malik’s).

The reason for their disagreement stems from their dispute over the meaning of the tradition of Abu Sa Td al-Khudri, who said, “We used to pay c zakat al-fitr during the period of the Messenger of Allah (God’s peace and blessings be upon him) as a sdt of food or a sdt of barley or a sdt of aqit or a sat of dried dates”. Those who understood a choice from this said that any of these things he pays in is sufficient. Those who understood from it that the variety in payment is not a basis of permissibility, but is the consideration of the food of the person paying or of the staple food of the land, upheld the second opinion.

How much is obligatory? The jurists agreed that the zakat al-fitr paid in the form of dried dates or barley is not to be less than one sa\ because that has been established in the tradition of Ibn ‘Umar. They disagreed about the quantity the person may pay in wheat. Malik and al-ShafiT said that less than one sat would not be sufficient, while Abu HanTfa and his disciples said that one-half sat is sufficient.

The reason for their disagreement stems from the conflict of traditions. It is related in the tradition of Abu SacTd al-Khudri, who said, “We used to pay zakat al-fitr during the period of the Messenger of Allah (God’s peace and blessings be upon him) as a sat of food or a sat of barley or a sdt of aqit or a sdt of dried dates or a sdt of raisins”. The apparent meaning is that by food he meant wheat. Al-ZuhrT has also related from Abu SacTd from his father that the Messenger of Allah (God’s peace and blessings be upon him) said, “For the sadaqa of fitr is one sat of wheat shared by two persons or a s«c of barley or one of dates for each person”. It is recorded by Abu Dawud. It is related from Ibn al-Musayyab that he said, “The sadaqa of fitr in the period of the Messenger of Allah (God’s peace and blessings be upon him) was one-half s& of wheat or one sdc of barley or one sd< of dried dates”. Those who adopted these traditions said that the obligation is for one-half sa< of wheat, while those who adopted the apparent meaning of the tradition of Abu SacTd made an analogy for wheat upon barley and held them to be similar for the obligation.