Ramadan's Special Charity

Zakat al-Fitr
By : Magda Azzam

clipped from www.readingislam.com The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “You see the believers as regards their being merciful among themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that, if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari) Zakat al-fitr can be paid in barley, dates, raisins, and money, among other things. The word “ zakah ” in Arabic means purification. The giving of zakah (obligatory charity) is the third pillar of Islam. There are two types of zakah: zakat al-mal (charity paid on one’s wealth) and zakat al-fitr (charity paid before breaking the fast of Ramadan).