Q:
1. With regards to paying fidyah for the deceased person's missed salaahs, what is the minimum amount in the form of wheat?
2. An alternative to discharging the fidyah in the form of wheat or money is to feed one poor person 2 meals to their full for each salaah. Does it have to be the same poor person that is given two meals or can it be 2 poor persons given one meal each? Also, can one person be fed multiple times or given more than the stipulated amount of wheat? (E.g. Giving him 6 meals or a 10kg bag of wheat)?
3. How would fidyah be calculated if given in the form of rice or maize?
4. Are their any criteria for the recipients of the fidyah? Do they have to be Muslim and can children be fed as well or do they have to be adults?
5. As these calculations come to quite exhorbitant amounts, is it permissible to discharge the fidya in a country where the price of food is cheaper such as India, and does mufti know of anyone in India who can assist us in having this done?
A:
1. The fidyah amount is the same as the sadaqtul fitr amount, which is half a saa' (approximately 1.64 kg) of wheat or one saa' (approximately 3.28 kg) of barley. One may give the equivalent of wheat or barley in value. Currently, the price of half saa' of wheat is approximately R30.
Note: It should be borne in mind that the amount of fidyah will differ from place to place according to the price of wheat and barley in that place and according to the time it is given.
2. When discharging fidyah, one may give the amount of sadaqatul fitr to the poor with the intention of discharging the fidyah for the missed salaahs of the deceased. It is permissible to give one poor person many fidyahs or to distribute one fidyah between two or more people.
One may also feed a poor person two meals by calling him home for the meal. In this case, where one calls the poor person to one's home and feeds him, then in order for the fidyah to be discharged, the poor person should be able to eat to his full. If the poor person is fed a meal at one's home and the amount of food is insufficient to allow him to eat to his full, then the fidyah will not be discharged.
Similarly, when feeding the poor, two meals should be provided to the same poor person. If one meal is provided to one poor person and the second meal to another poor person, it will not suffice. Rather, each poor person will have to be given another meal. This will then suffice for the discharging of two fidyahs.
However, if the poor are given the food and not merely called to one's home to eat, then the amount given to them will be taken into consideration. If one poor person is given food to the value of sadaqatul fitr, then this will suffice for one fidyah. Accordingly, if one poor person is given a 10kg bag of wheat, then this will suffice on behalf of six fidyahs, as one fidyah is approximately 1.64 kg.
3. It is permissible to give fidyah in the form of rice or maize. If the amount of rice or maize given equals the value of sadaqatul fitr, then this will be treated as one fidyah. If double the amount is given, then this will be treated as two fidyahs, and so forth and so on.
4. Fidyah should be given to poor baaligh or non baaligh Muslims.
5. Yes, it is permissible to do the fidyah in another country. Unfortunately, we do not know of anyone in India who will be able to assist you.
And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
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