With just one week to go before the commencement of Ramadan, the Fatwa Committee of the Muslim Judicial Council has announced that the quantities and values for Ṣadaqat al-Fiṭr and Fidyah remain unchanged from last year.
-Fitrah (3 kg of rice) will amount to R40
-Fidyah (1 kg of rice) will amount to R10
In a statement, the MJC noted the following pre-requisite:
-Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers who give Fidyah should do so in kind only, and
not in cash.
-It is permissible to pay Fiṭrah at any time after Ramaḍān has commenced.
-The obligation to do so sets in on the eve that Ramaḍān ends, either by the sighting of
the moon or the completion of 30 days.
-Fiṭrah should ideally reach its recipients before the Eid ṣalāh.
-Failure to give it before Eid ṣalāh does not absolve one from the obligation. It should still
be given out before the day ends.
-Delaying it beyond sunset on the day of Eid without a reasonable excuse is ḥarām.
-Those who are unable to pay the full amount should pay whatever they are able to pay.
-The head of the household is responsible for paying Fiṭrah on behalf of all those in the
household for whose maintenance he is responsible