Fitra is a religious tax or form of zakat paid when Muslims stop fasting at the end of Ramadan. It is known as Zakat Al-Fitr.
Giving fitra is obligatory on the eve of Eid Al-Fitr. It should be kept aside and paid before Eid prayers or before midday for those who have performed their prayers.
It is necessary to have the obligatory intention (niyyah) of giving fitra for Almighty’s pleasure only. Fitra is obligatory for every Muslim who has reached puberty, sane, financially able, and conscious.
Fitra should also be given on behalf of all dependents such as wives, children and servants if they are being supported financially. It is compulsory for every Muslim to give fitra (about 2.7 kg of rice or any other staple) to the poor before offering Eid Al-Fitr prayer.
The rice is sold in convenient packs to allow customers to give them directly to needy people. Each 2.7 kg bag is sold at the modest price of SR15.
A big sack of rice containing 30 kg costs only SR120 and can be given on behalf of 10 people who have fasted during the holy month.
“We do not make a huge profit margin since people buy the rice for a worthy cause,” stall vendor Saad Abdullah Al-Sahl told Arab News.
He added that he has been in this particular business for the past seven years.
“I am happy that I am able to serve Muslims in my own way during the holy month,” he added.
During this season, he said, people want to give charity lavishly.
“There are philanthropists who want to give the best quality of rice to the poor at a costlier price,” he noted. “We have made special packets of rice for such customers.” Al-Sahl, who had opened his stall only on Monday night, said business would pick up as Eid approaches.
The World Assembly of Muslim Youth opened its offices in Riyadh to receive Zakat Al-Fitr. These offices are open until 3 a.m.
Supermarkets have also started stocking packets of fitra rice for its customers.
“We expect them to sell well in the buildup to Eid,” a supermarket salesman told Arab News. It is estimated that the average Saudi family spends around SR6,000 at this time of the year.
Banks have closed for a week from Monday but they have filled their ATMs with adequate cash for withdrawals during the weeklong Eid holiday. However, a few cash remittance centers in Batha will be open during the holidays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. to enable customers to send money to their families.
