Who Is Obliged to Pay Zakat al-Fitr? This Is Baznas's Explanation

Jakarta – Zakat al-fitr is one of the obligatory forms of worship that must be performed by Muslims every year at the end of Ramadan.

In Indonesia, the implementation of this obligation is regulated by Islamic law whilst also considering social factors, making it important for Muslims to understand who is obliged to pay zakat al-fitr.

Zakat al-fitr is the zakat that is obligatory for every Muslim approaching Eid al-Fitr. According to the official website of the National Zakat Agency (Baznas), this zakat must be paid by every individual who meets the following conditions: being Muslim, living during Ramadan, and having surplus resources or possessing adequate basic necessities for the night and Eid al-Fitr day.

This provision is consistent with the standardised definition of zakat al-fitr used in zakat administration practices in Indonesia.

Baznas states that zakat al-fitr is the zakat obligatory upon every Muslim soul who observes fasting during Ramadan and intends to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.

The following are several conditions for zakat al-fitr obligation that should be understood.

One important criterion is that a person must be alive at the moment of sunset on the final day of Ramadan.

Baznas explains that zakat al-fitr must be paid for every Muslim who is still alive at that time and possesses adequate basic necessities.

Within Islamic jurisprudential practice used as reference, an infant born before sunset on the last day of Ramadan is also included in the group whose zakat al-fitr must be paid by their parents.

This means that someone who does not have sufficient food or basic necessities through Eid al-Fitr is not included in the obligated group and is instead eligible to receive zakat.

In addition to explaining the obligation criteria, Baznas and the Ministry of Religious Affairs continue to set the zakat al-fitr amount annually as a practical guideline.