Zakat al-Fitr is one the acts of worship that Allah, Exalted be He, has blessed us with and made a means of purification and compensation to make up for the decrease or loss of reward that may happen to the fasting person during the month of Ramadan. This act of worship has its own rulings and conditions that Allah, Most High, has legislated to feed the needy and poor Muslims. In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar reports that the Prophet ﷺ made zakat al-Fitr obligatory upon every Muslim, be they male or female, slave or free, young or adult, who has food that exceeds his needs for one day and night. He ﷺ clarified that Muslims have to pay it on behalf of their dependent household members, because it is associated with fasting and is not linked to the wealth of a person. The Prophet ﷺ specified that zakat al-Fitr has to be one Saa’ of dates or barley and the one Saa’ equals about 5.30 pounds (i.e., approx. 3 kgs). It can be given from other types of food that are common in the country like rice and wheat. The Prophet ﷺ ordered that it has to be given to the poor and needy before leaving to perform the ‘Eid prayer – that is, after Fajr prayer and before leaving homes to pray ‘Eid prayer. This is the best time to give this zakat and it is prescribed to pay it from the sunset of the last day of Ramadan, and to even pay one or two days before the Day of ‘Eid. The deadline to give zakat al-Fitr is the ‘Eid prayer as indicated in this hadeeth. It was said that its deadline is the sunset of the first day of ‘Eid al-Fitr, and if someone pays it after the deadline, it will not qualify as a Zakat al-Fitr, and will only be considered a charity..