FatwaFederal TerritoriesZakat
IRSYAD HUKUM KHAS RAMADHAN SIRI KE 132 : ADAKAH BAYI DI DALAM KANDUNGAN DIBAYARKAN ZAKAT FITRAH?
Is zakat al-fitr obligatory for an unborn baby still in the womb?
Short answer
Zakat al-fitr is not obligatory for a baby still in the womb, and the father is not required to pay it on the baby's behalf.
A reference, not a fatwa. First sentence of the summary below — read the original fatwa and consult your state authority before acting.
- Authority
- Federal Territories Mufti Office
- Date
- Status
- Opinion (irsyad)
- Series
- Irsyad al-Hukum Edisi Ramadhan
- Topic
- Zakat
No evidence of gazettement in the source — this is not a gazetted fatwa.
Summary
Zakat al-fitr is not obligatory for a baby still in the womb, and the father is not required to pay it on the baby's behalf. This is the view of Imam al-Nawawi, Imam al-Ramli and most Shafi'i scholars. The opposing view relies on the hadith of Ibn Umar about children, but Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani explains that an unborn baby is not called a child linguistically or customarily, so it falls outside that hadith.
Written in our own words from the original fatwa — check the source before acting on it.
Berdasarkan dalil dan perbincangan yang telah kami kemukakan, kami menyimpulkan bahawa zakat fitrah tidak wajib bagi bayi yang berada di dalam kandungan.
Read the full fatwa on the Federal Territories website (new tab)
How to cite
Cite the original fatwa and its authority. Rujuk Fatwa is only where you found it.
Federal Territories Mufti Office. “IRSYAD HUKUM KHAS RAMADHAN SIRI KE 132 : ADAKAH BAYI DI DALAM KANDUNGAN DIBAYARKAN ZAKAT FITRAH?”, 21 May 2019. https://muftiwp.gov.my/ms/artikel/irsyad-hukum/edisi-ramadhan/3412-irsyad-al-fatwa-khas-ramadhan-siri-ke-132-adakah-bayi-di-dalam-kandungan-dibayarkan-zakat-fitrah. Found via Rujuk Fatwa: https://rujukfatwa.com/en/fatwa/unborn-baby-zakat-fitr-obligation/