With the countdown to the holy month of Ramadan, the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) has announced the fitra and fidya amounts for Ramadan 1436. This year, Fitra amounts to R30, equivalent to 3kg of Rice (staple food). Fidya will cost R15, which amounts to three quarters of a kilogram of rice. Compared to last year, fitra is now R3 less, while fidya is R4 more.

“We recommend that Fitrah be paid in kind as is the original form of paying fitrah in the Shafi madhab in the Western Cape,” the MJC’s Fatwa Department said in a statement.

Efforts should be made to pay it personally in the staple food and preferably earlier in the month of Ramadan as opposed to later.

Fidyah is a daily compensation that must be paid by those unable to fast due to pregnancy or ill health. Fitrah is an obligatory donation that every Muslim must pay to ensure that no Muslim is left hungry on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr.

In the Shafi’ school of thought, Fitrah is calculated by weighing 2,5kg of the staple food of the country such as wheat or rice, which must be converted to cash. This amount must be paid by the breadwinner on behalf of each family member in the house-hold. The sum can be paid on behalf of all children or spouses, even those who can support themselves, as well as elderly parents living in the house.

The fitrah and fidyah amount is a “bare minimum” and those who can afford may increase the number according to their means. VOC