Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh, head of the Council of Senior Scholars and the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta, reaffirmed that Zakat Al-Fitr should be given in the form of food, not cash, aligning with the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

"Zakat Al-Fitr is to be given from the foodstuff of humans, such as wheat, rice, raisins, and the like. It is obligatory for a Muslim in the place where the sunset of the last day of Ramadan is witnessed, and it can be given a day or two before Eid," the Grand Mufti said.

He advised that Zakat Al-Fitr can be distributed from the 28th or 29th of Ramadan and must be delivered directly to the needy or through a designated representative.

The Grand Mufti highlighted that Zakat Al-Fitr is mandated for every Muslim, regardless of age, gender, or status, and is to be given as one sa' (a traditional Islamic unit of volume) of food.