Shariah Board announces minimum Fitrana, Fidya amount

ISLAMABAD: Sheikh Al-Hadith Professor Dr Mufti Muhammad Zafar Iqbal Jalali, the chairman of the Shariah Board Pakistan, announced a minimum amount of Sadaqah-e-Fitr and Fidya for this year.

The minimum Sadaqah-e-Fitr or Fitrana — an obligatory charitable donation that Muslims are required to pay during the holy month of Ramadan — and Fidya for skipping fasting due to health reasons this year has been fixed at Rs300 per person, roughly equivalent to two kilogrammes of wheat flour.

In a statement, the Shariah Board chairman emphasised the importance of philanthropists and affluent individuals contributing Fitrana and Fidya in accordance with their financial capacity, with values set at Rs600 for oats, Rs2,400 for dates, and Rs4,400 for raisins.

Similarly, he outlined the Fidya rates for fasting the entire month of Ramadan, which are Rs9,000 for wheat flour, Rs18,000 for oats, Rs72,000 for dates, and Rs132,000 for raisins.

Dr Jalali clarified that Fidya for fasting was intended for individuals who were chronically ill or unable to fast with no prospect of recovery.

Travelers and those temporarily unable to fast were obligated to make up for missed fasts, as Fidya could not be a substitute for abstaining from fasting, he maintained.

This year, the minimum amount for Zakat was fixed at Rs135,179 by the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Security.

Announcing the Nisab for Zakat in 2024, the ministry had said Zakat will be applicable on the savings accounts/ profit and loss sharing (PLS) accounts having balance of Rs135,179 or more. Hence, the customers fulfilling the criteria would be liable to pay 2.5% in terms of Zakat on their total amount in the account.