Short answer
Half a sa' of wheat or wheat flour, or a full sa' of dates or barley, for each person, or the cash value of either, in the Hanafi school. Half a sa' of wheat is commonly estimated at about 1.6 to 2 kg. Local scholars set the cash amount each year. The other schools require a full sa' of the local staple food.
Zakat al-fitr (sadaqat al-fitr) is wajib, and the amount for each person is half a sa' of wheat or its flour, or one sa' of dates or barley, or the value of any of these. Paying by the more costly measures, such as dates, is better for those who can afford it.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- One full sa' of the main staple food of the land, such as rice, wheat or dates, given as food rather than money.
- Maliki
- One full sa' of the main staple food of the land, such as rice, wheat or dates, given as food rather than money.
- Hanbali
- One full sa' of the main staple food of the land, such as rice, wheat or dates, given as food rather than money.
Explanation
The sa' is a measure of volume from the Prophet's time, a little over four double handfuls. The Companions paid one sa' of dates, barley, raisins or dried cheese for each person. When good wheat from Syria became common, Mu'awiya judged half a sa' of it equal to a full sa' of dates, and most people followed him. The Hanafi school adopted this: half a sa' of wheat, or a full sa' of dates or barley.
Converted to weight, half a sa' of wheat is usually given as about 1.6 to 2 kg, and a sa' of dates or barley as about double that. Estimates differ a little because the sa' was a measure of volume.
Most Hanafi scholars allow, and often prefer, paying the value in money (see paying zakat al-fitr in cash). Masjids and scholars announce a local cash figure each Ramadan based on the price of wheat or flour. Those who can afford more are encouraged to pay by the value of dates or raisins. You can check your family's total on the zakat al-fitr calculator.
The amount is per person. A father of four young children pays five times the amount: once for himself and once for each child. For who is covered, see who pays zakat al-fitr.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-A'laa 87:14-15
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ ﴿١٤﴾ وَذَكَرَ ٱسْمَ رَبِّهِۦ فَصَلَّىٰ ﴿١٥﴾
He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself And mentions the name of his Lord and prays.
Several early scholars read this as referring to zakat al-fitr followed by the Eid prayer.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1503
Sahih... فرض رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم زكاة الفطر صاعا من تمر ...
"The Messenger of Allah made zakat al-fitr obligatory: a sa' of dates or a sa' of barley."
The basic measure of zakat al-fitr.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1508
Sahih... أرى مدا من هذا يعدل مدين ...
"I think one mudd of this (Syrian wheat) equals two mudds (of other food)."
Mu'awiya's judgment, followed by the people, that half a sa' of wheat equals a full sa' of dates; the Hanafi measure for wheat.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Zakat, chapter on sadaqat al-fitr. Half a sa' of wheat or flour, or a sa' of dates or barley.
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar with Radd al-Muhtar, Kitab al-Zakat, chapter on sadaqat al-fitr. Paying the value is valid and the more costly measures are better.
- al-Mughni, Kitab al-Zakat, chapter on zakat al-fitr. The Hanbali requirement of a full sa'.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.