Allah the Almighty states in the Holy Quran:
مَثَلُ الَّذِیۡنَ یُنۡفِقُوۡنَ اَمۡوَالَہُمۡ فِیۡ سَبِیۡلِ اللّٰہِ کَمَثَلِ حَبَّۃٍ اَنۡۢبَتَتۡ سَبۡعَ سَنَابِلَ فِیۡ کُلِّ سُنۡۢبُلَۃٍ مِّائَۃُ حَبَّۃٍ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ یُضٰعِفُ لِمَنۡ یَّشَآءُ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِیۡمٌ
“The similitude of those who spend their wealth for the cause of Allah is like the similitude of a grain of corn which grows seven ears, in each ear a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies it further for whomsoever He pleases; Allah is Bountiful, All-Knowing.” (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.262)
Hazrat Anas(ra) narrated that the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,
“The best charity is the one that is offered during the month of Ramadan.” (Tirmidhi, Kitab az-Zakat)
Hazrat Ibn Abbas(ra) relates,
The Holy Prophet(sa) was the most generous of all people, and he used to become more generous in Ramadan when Gabriel would meet him. Gabriel used to meet him every night during Ramadan to revise the Quran with him. Allah’s Messenger(sa) then used to be more generous than a fast, fierce wind.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Manaqib)
In Arabic, fitrana is called Sadaqat-ul-Fitr, as it is stated in a Hadith:
Hazrat Ibn Abbas(ra) relates,
“The Holy Prophet(sa) deemed Sadaqat-ul-Fitr obligatory upon Muslims. It is a means of purifying the fasting person from idle talk and foul language and also to feed the poor.” (Sunan Abu Dawood, Kitab az-Zakat)
Fitrana has to be offered before Eid. At times it is observed that it is offered right before or after the Eid prayer, however it is better to offer fitrana well before Eid, so that the poor and needy can be provided with the means to celebrate Eid in time.
The amount or rate of fitrana is one saa‘ of grains, which is equivalent to 2.5 kilograms. However, if someone is unable to offer the exact amount, they can offer half of the amount. Fitrana is obligatory upon every Muslim man, woman and child, so much so that it has to be paid on behalf of a new-born as well.
Keeping in view the amount of fitrana, it is fixed annually at a national level and then collected accordingly.
Eid Fund
The practice of offering Eid fund exists since the time of Promised Messiah(as). The purpose of offering this fund is so that as a person spends money on clothes, food, gatherings and gifts etc., on all happy occasions like Eid, one should bear in mind the requirements of faith and religion.
The amount of Eid fund in the time of the Promised Messiah(as) was such that each Ahmadi who had a source of income would offer one rupee as Eid Fund. However, in the present age, the value of the rupee has not remained the same, so instead of restricting it to one rupee Ahmadis should pay a sum on both Eids keeping in view the spirit of this fund according to their financial position.
The Promised Messiah(as) said:
“What a blessed time this is! No one is asked to lay down their life. This is not the time for offering the ultimate sacrifice, but rather it is the time to spend out of one’s possessions, according to one’s means.” (Al Hakam, 10 July 1903)
(Al Hakam, May 31, 2019)