Ruling 2003. A person who at the time of sunset (ghurūb) on the eve of Eid al-Fiṭr[1] is bāligh and sane, and not unconscious, poor, or a slave, must give on his behalf and on behalf of those who are dependent on him, one ṣāʿ – which is approximately three kilograms – of food per head to someone who is entitled to receive zakat. The food that he gives must be considered a staple food in his town, such as wheat, barley, dates, raisins, rice, millet, or something similar, and it suffices if he gives the food’s monetary value instead. The obligatory precaution is that food that is not considered a staple in his town must not be given as zakat, even if what he gives is wheat, barley, dates, or raisins.

Ruling 2004. If a person cannot meet his and his family’s living expenses for one year and does not have an occupation by which he can meet his and his family’s expenses for one year, then such a person is a poor person and it is not obligatory for him to give zakāt al‑fiṭrah.

Ruling 2005. A person must give fiṭrah on behalf of all those who are considered his dependants at the time of sunset on the eve of Eid al-Fiṭr, irrespective of whether they are young or old, Muslims or disbelievers, whether it is obligatory for him to pay for their living expenses or not, and whether they are in his town or another town.

Ruling 2006. If a person appoints his dependant, who happens to be in another town, to be his agent in giving his [i.e. the dependant’s] fiṭrah from that person’s property, in the event that he is confident he will give the fiṭrah, it is not necessary for the person to give his dependant’s fiṭrah himself.

Ruling 2007. It is obligatory for one to give the fiṭrah of a guest who arrives at his house before sunset on the eve of Eid al-Fiṭr and spends the night at his place and is considered his dependant, albeit only temporarily.

Ruling 2008. The fiṭrah of a guest who arrives at one’s house after sunset on the eve of Eid al-Fiṭr is, based on precaution, obligatory for the host provided that the guest is considered the host’s dependant; otherwise, it is not. If a person is invited to break his fast (ifṭār) on the eve of Eid al-Fiṭr, he is not considered the host’s dependant and the guest’s fiṭrah is not the responsibility of the owner of the house.

Ruling 2009. If a person is insane at the time of sunset on the eve of Eid al-Fiṭr and his insanity continues until the time for ẓuhr prayers on the day Eid al-Fiṭr, zakāt al‑fiṭrah is not obligatory for him; otherwise, based on obligatory precaution, it is necessary for him to give fiṭrah.

Ruling 2010. If before sunset a child becomes bāligh, or an insane person becomes sane, or a poor person becomes rich, and if that person meets the conditions that make it obligatory for one to give fiṭrah, he must give fiṭrah.

Ruling 2011. If at the time of sunset on the eve of Eid al-Fiṭr a person does not meet the conditions that make it obligatory for one to give fiṭrah but before the time for ẓuhr prayers on the day of Eid he does meet the conditions, then the obligatory precaution is that he must give fiṭrah.

Ruling 2012. If a disbeliever becomes Muslim after sunset on the eve of Eid al-Fiṭr, it is not obligatory for him to give zakāt al‑fiṭrah. However, if a Muslim who was not a Shia becomes a Shia after the moon is sighted, he must give fiṭrah.

Ruling 2013. If someone possesses only one ṣāʿ of wheat and suchlike, it is recommended that he give zakāt al‑fiṭrah. In the event that he has dependants and he wants to give their fiṭrah as well, he can give that one ṣāʿ to one of them with the intention of giving fiṭrah, and the recipient can in turn give it to another dependant with the same intention, and so on until it reaches the last person; and it is better that the last recipient give the item to someone who is not a member of their family. If one of them is a minor (ṣaghīr) or insane, his guardian can take it on his behalf; and the recommended precaution is that the guardian should not take it with the intention of taking it for the minor or insane person but for himself.

Ruling 2014. If after sunset on the eve of Eid al-Fiṭr a woman gives birth to a child, it is not obligatory to give fiṭrah for the child. However, if before sunset a woman gives birth or marries and the mother or wife are considered dependants of the father or husband, he must give their fiṭrah; but if they are dependants of someone else, then it is not obligatory for him. If they are not dependants of anyone, then the fiṭrah of the woman is obligatory for herself and there is no obligation to give fiṭrah for the child.

Ruling 2015. If a person is a dependant of someone and before sunset he becomes a dependant of someone else, his fiṭrah becomes obligatory for the person he became a dependant of. For example, if a girl moves to her husband’s house before sunset, her husband must give her fiṭrah.

Ruling 2016.* A person whose fiṭrah is obligatory for another person is not obligated to give his fiṭrah himself. However, if the other person, without any legitimate excuse or due to forgetfulness, does not give his fiṭrah, then based on precaution, it becomes obligatory for the person to give his own fiṭrah provided the conditions mentioned in Ruling 2003 are fulfilled. If a well-off person is a dependant of a poor person, it is not obligatory for the poor person to give fiṭrah, but if the well-off person meets the conditions that make it obligatory for one to give fiṭrah, then he must give fiṭrah.

Ruling 2017. If a person whose fiṭrah is obligatory for another person gives his own fiṭrah, the obligation for the one who must give it is not exempted.

Ruling 2018. A person who is not a sayyid cannot give fiṭrah to a sayyid, and if that sayyid is his dependant, he cannot give that sayyid’s fiṭrah to another sayyid.

Ruling 2019. The fiṭrah of a child who is breastfed by its mother or a wet nurse is obligatory for the person who pays for the living expenses of the mother or the wet nurse. However, if the mother or the wet nurse takes her living expenses from the child’s property, then the fiṭrah of that child is not obligatory for anyone.

Ruling 2020. Even if a person pays for the living expenses of his dependants with property that he has acquired unlawfully, he must give their fiṭrah from property that he has acquired lawfully.

Ruling 2021. If a person hires someone like a builder, carpenter, or domestic worker, and pays for his living expenses in a manner that the hired person is considered his dependant, he must give the hired person’s fiṭrah as well. However, if he only pays him for his work, it is not obligatory for him to give his fiṭrah.

Ruling 2022. If a person dies before sunset on the eve of Eid al-Fiṭr, it is not obligatory to give his and his dependants’ fiṭrah from his estate. However, if a person dies after sunset, then based on the opinion held by most jurists (mashhūr), his and his dependants’ fiṭrah must be given from his estate. However, this rule is problematic, and the requisite precautionary action must not be abandoned.