How your fitra donations helped last year
Over $144,000 disbursed in 2017!
Bangladesh
$5,000
Burma (Rohingya)
$50,000
Canada
$7,000
India
$22,000
Kenya
$7,500
Pakistan
$35,000
Nepal
$10,000
Sri Lanka
$7,500
What are Fitra, Fidya, and Kaffara?
Fitra
Fitra is a religious tax/alms paid by a fasting person at the end of the month of Ramadan before Eid-ul-Fitr salah.
Fidya
Fidya is a type of tax/alms prescribed upon those who cannot fulfill the obligation of fasting due to illness or old age.
Kaffara
Kaffara is a type of tax/alms in which the person who deliberately misses or breaks a day of fasting without a valid reason.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get your answers!
Q: Is Fitra mandatory?
A: Fitra is mandatory upon every able Muslim that fasts during the month of Ramadan.
Imams (a) say that the verses: Indeed whosoever purifies himself shall achieve success, and glorifies the Name of his Lord and prays (87:14 & 15) refer to giving of Fitrah and saying prayers on Eid al-Fitr. Imam Ja`far as- Sadiq (a) said: for your fast to be accepted, give zakât.
Q: How much Fitra do I pay?
A: The price per person is calculated every year such that the needy can benefit from it, and use it to enjoin in the Eid celebration. This year, the price is $10 per person.
In the past, Fitra used to be given as dates, rice, wheat, etc. Our local partners in deserving countries give us an estimated amount, which we then use to calculate the fitra amount. A person can donate more than the base Fitra amount if he or she so chooses.
Q: Who has to pay Fidya?
A: Fidya is a tax/alms paid that is prescribed upon a person who is unable to fast either due to sickness or old age.
Fidya payments are meant to feed a needy person for each of the fasting days missed. They are equivalent to the price of one meal each for two people or two meals for one person.
Q: Who has to pay Kaffara?
A: Kaffara is a type of tax/alms in which the person who deliberately misses or breaks a day of fasting without a valid reason.
According to Islamic texts, if a person misses a day of fasting without a valid reason, he or she must fast for sixty consecutive days or feed sixty needy people per day. In this situation, the estimated cost is $10 per person for sixty people, which equals $600 a day for each deliberately missed or broken fast.
Q: How much Fitra or Fidya should you pay?
A: Our Fitra, Fidya, and Kaffara’s rates are $10 per person per day.
However, donors are more than welcome to contribute as much as they are able in aid of the famished and needy. This figure is based on the average cost of a basic meal.
In Prophetic texts, believers are taught that Zakat-tul-Fitra for one person is equivalent to approximately three kilograms of any food commodity (i.e. wheat, barley, rice, millet, raisins, or dates).
Q: Where do my Fitra funds go?
A: We've partnered up with ICNA Relief Canada, a registered Canadian charity, to disburse your funds.
Your funds are disbursed where most needed if you donate through the general Fitra/Fidya/Kaffara fund. This typically means areas of disasters, or poverty, or places where ICNA Relief Canada has local partners.
Q: What is the last date to pay Fitra in 2018?
A: Fitra should be paid before Eid-ul-fitr salah. You can pay it any time during Ramadan, leading up to right before the Eid Salah.
ICNA Relief Canada disburses funds beforehand to account for people giving fitra just before the Eid salah.