Quick answer: Fitrah (zakat al-fitr, the charity due at the end of Ramadan) is a fixed measure of staple food for each person, called a sa’. The weight differs between sources, from roughly 1.6 kg for the Hanafi half-sa’ of wheat to about 3 kg for a full sa’ in other accounts. The latest time is before the Eid prayer, which is expected on Tuesday 9 March 2027.
Expected dates for fitrah in 2027
Ramadan 1448 AH is expected to begin on Monday 8 February 2027 on the Umm al-Qura calendar, Saudi Arabia’s official calculated calendar, and Eid al-Fitr is expected on Tuesday 9 March 2027, according to an independent Umm al-Qura reference site (read 2 November 2026). Those are expected dates only. The actual start depends on the moon sighting, or on a local authority’s own decision, and many countries land a day away from Saudi Arabia.
That day matters for fitrah because the deadline moves with Eid. Readers in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Europe usually follow their local mosque or national council, so the date to plan around is the one announced on the 29th of Ramadan. Our Ramadan dates page and Eid al-Fitr dates page show the expected dates, and the Ramadan timetables help you plan the final week.
Fitrah is separate from the annual zakat on wealth. Zakat Foundation of America explains that wealth zakat depends on what a person owns and for how long, while fitrah depends on the time of year. If you also need the wealth zakat figure, use the zakat calculator.
How many kilograms: what the schools and sources give
The Hanafi school sets the amount at half a sa’ of wheat, wheat flour or raisins, or one sa’ of dates or barley, according to Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta. A summary of the five schools on al-islam.org says the other schools set one full sa’ per head of a staple such as wheat, barley, dates, raisins, rice or maize, and gives about 3 kg as an approximation.
Converting a sa’ into kilograms is where sources part ways, because the measure was one of volume (four double handfuls) and grains differ in weight. The Masarat Initiative gives about 2.175 kg for the Shafi’i and Hanbali schools and 3 kg for the Hanafis. An Islamweb fatwa also gives 2,176 g for the Shafi’i measure, and works out the Hanafi half-sa’ as 1,633 g.
| School | Amount per person | Weight reported in the sources (kg) | Paid in cash? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanafi | Half sa’ of wheat, flour or raisins; 1 sa’ of dates or barley | Half sa’: 1.633 to 2.4 (sources differ) | Yes, the value is accepted |
| Maliki | 1 sa’ of the local staple | About 2.175 to 3 (sources differ) | Generally food; some Maliki jurists allowed value |
| Shafi’i | 1 sa’ of the local staple | About 2.175 (Masarat, Islamweb) | Generally food |
| Hanbali | 1 sa’ of the local staple | About 2.175 (Masarat) | Generally food; a report from Imam Ahmad allows value |
For the Hanafi half-sa’, the IslamQA Hanafi answer says contemporary scholars differ. It names 1.875 kg as the most common view and 2.32 kg, from Mufti Rasheed Ludhyanwi, as the precautionary one. Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta, in a separate fatwa, gives 2.4 kg for the half-sa’.
Source: Islamweb fatwa 219343; IslamQA Hanafi answer 2850; Egypt's Dar al-Ifta fatwa 6417 (read 2 November 2026)
The chart sets out the four half-sa’ figures above: 1.633 kg, 1.875 kg, 2.32 kg and 2.4 kg. Because they differ, a reader who follows the Hanafi school usually asks their own scholar or mosque which figure to use. Charities in the UK that publish a kilogram basis tend to quote a single sa’ as roughly 2.5 to 3 kg, as Human Appeal does on its fitrah page (read 2 November 2026).
Food or cash: the schools side by side
This is the question that shapes how most people in the West pay. The Muslim Aid explainer reports that the Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali schools generally required food, out of concern to follow the Prophet’s ﷺ wording. The Hanafi school allows cash, reasoning that the purpose is to meet the needs of the poor.
Within the Hanafi school, the Dar al-Ifta fatwa quotes the classical Hanafi work al-Mabsut by al-Sarakhsi, who held that paying the equivalent value of wheat is permitted. Dar al-Ifta itself prefers the cash view for our time, and says money lets the poor buy what they need on the day. On the other side, the Shafi’i answer in the IslamQA Shafi’i section states that the school and the majority do not permit cash. It adds that a Shafi’i may follow the Hanafi position if he knows the details of that school.
The Masarat Initiative’s survey of scholars’ views on monetary payment notes that Ibn Baz, a Hanbali-leaning scholar of Saudi Arabia, regarded cash as a weak position. Some Maliki jurists such as Ibn Habib and Ibn Wahb, listed in another Dar al-Ifta fatwa, allowed value. Ibn Taymiyyah, a Hanbali scholar, permitted it in cases of need or clear benefit.
Charities that collect fitrah as cash usually say they act as the payer’s agent. Islamic Relief UK states that it can take the money beforehand and then buy and distribute food at the right time. A reader who follows a school requiring food would ask a scholar whether that arrangement meets their school’s condition.
Who is counted
Fitrah is paid per person, not per household. Human Appeal says it applies to every Muslim who has food beyond the household’s needs on the eve of Eid, and covers dependents including children. Al Mustafa Welfare Trust words the condition as enough food for the person and household for Eid day and night.
The Muslim Aid explainer says this includes children and, according to many scholars, wives. The Hanafi school differs slightly, holding that an adult woman who owns wealth pays for herself.
Newborns raise a question of timing. The Maliki school, according to the Masarat Initiative, includes a baby born before the dawn of Eid. The Hanafi view in an Islamweb article on the rulings of zakat al-fitr is similar: a child born before dawn on Eid day is counted. For the Shafi’i school the obligation falls on whoever witnesses the night of Eid.
When to pay: the dates and the deadline
The schools differ on the moment the obligation begins, and that affects who counts. Dar al-Ifta’s page on the time for giving zakat al-fitr and the Zakat Foundation page above set out the positions below.
| School | Obligation begins | Earliest payment reported |
|---|---|---|
| Hanafi | Dawn of Eid day | Early payment allowed, even before Ramadan |
| Maliki | Dawn of Eid day (another view: sunset) | One or two days before Eid |
| Shafi’i | Sunset ending Ramadan | From the start of Ramadan (established view) |
| Hanbali | Sunset ending Ramadan | One or two days before Eid |
All of these positions share one latest point. The report from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) in Sahih al-Bukhari describes the amount set by the Prophet ﷺ and when it should reach the poor.
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ السَّكَنِ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَهْضَمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ نَافِعٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ فَرَضَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم زَكَاةَ الْفِطْرِ صَاعًا مِنْ تَمْرٍ، أَوْ صَاعًا مِنْ شَعِيرٍ عَلَى الْعَبْدِ وَالْحُرِّ، وَالذَّكَرِ وَالأُنْثَى، وَالصَّغِيرِ وَالْكَبِيرِ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَأَمَرَ بِهَا أَنْ تُؤَدَّى قَبْلَ خُرُوجِ النَّاسِ إِلَى الصَّلاَةِ.
Narrated Ibn `Umar:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) enjoined the payment of one Sa' of dates or one Sa' of barley as Zakat-ul-Fitr on every Muslim slave or free, male or female, young or old, and he ordered that it be paid before the people went out to offer the `Id prayer. (One Sa' = 3 Kilograms approx)
Zakat Foundation of America states that scholars regard delaying payment until after the Eid prayer as sinful. A payment missed for any reason is still owed, according to the Al Jumuah summary of the rulings, which says it should be paid once the obstacle passes.
The same Zakat Foundation page observes that paying early in Ramadan makes it easier to reach recipients abroad before Eid. For fitrah sent overseas, that is a practical reason many charities begin collecting on the first day of Ramadan.
A step-by-step plan for the West
These steps describe a typical sequence; the right choice at each stage depends on the school you follow, so check with a qualified local scholar about your own situation.
- List everyone in your care. Write down each person, including children, and any baby expected around Eid. The timing table above shows which school counts a late arrival.
- Confirm which school or scholar you follow. That decides whether you work in half-sa’ or full-sa’ terms, and whether cash is accepted.
- Choose the form. If your school requires food, the sa’ is of the local staple, such as the flour, rice or dates people eat in your country. If your school accepts value, pay the cash worth of that weight of staple food.
- Convert weight to a payment. Take the weight your scholar gives and check the current price of that staple where you live. In 2026 Islamic Relief UK set its figure at £5 per person, calculated from the price of a staple like flour or rice; a 2027 figure had not been verified for this article on 2 November 2026, so check the charity’s page when it appears.
- Choose the route. You can give directly to eligible people, or pay a charity as agent. The recipients are the poor and needy; the Zakat al-Fitr overview notes that the same eight categories apply as for other zakat, though schools and scholars differ on that point.
- Pick the date. Many readers pay in the final week. A charity sending money abroad often needs more days, so the first days of Ramadan, from the expected 8 February 2027, can suit it better.
- Keep a note. Record the amount, the date and the recipient or charity, so you can show it was paid before the Eid prayer.
Local mosques in the UK, US, Canada and Australia often publish their own fitrah figure before Ramadan. Using that figure keeps a community on the same footing, though a reader whose school measures differently can ask the imam how the two compare.
Sources
- Umm al-Qura Calendar: Ramadan 2027 in Saudi Arabia, Umm al-Qura Calendar 1448
- Zakat Foundation of America: Do You Need to Pay Charity Before Eid al-Fitr Prayer?
- Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta: Paying zakat-ul-fitr in cash instead of grains
- Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta: Paying zakat ul-fitr in cash
- Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta: Giving out zakat ul-fitr in money format
- Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta: The time for giving out zakat-ul-fitr
- al-islam.org: The Five Schools of Islamic Law, Zakat
- Masarat Initiative: The measures of the Sa’ and the Kilo in Zakat al-Fitr
- Masarat Initiative: Zakat al-Fitr, the four schools of thought and scholars’ views on monetary payment
- Islamweb: How Zakat Al-Fitr is calculated in grams
- Islamweb: Rulings of Zakatul-Fitr II
- IslamQA (Hanafi): How to calculate Sadaqah al-Fitr
- IslamQA (Shafi’i): Is it permissible for a Shafi’i to pay his zakat al-fitr in the form of money?
- Muslim Aid: Is It Permissible to Pay Zakat al-Fitr in Cash?
- Islamic Relief UK: Zakat al-Fitr 2026
- Human Appeal: Zakat Al-Fitr
- Al Mustafa Welfare Trust: Pay Fitrana
- Al Jumuah Magazine: Rulings Regarding Zakat Al-Fitr, part 2
- Wikipedia: Zakat al-Fitr
This article explains what the four Sunni schools say and links its sources. It is not a fatwa. Dates are expected dates and depend on moon sighting where you live. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.
Header image: illustration, AI-generated.