How Should One Pay The Debt Of A Sadaqah Al-Fitr That Was Not Paid In Time?

How should one pay the debt of a sadaqah al-fitr that was not paid in time?

As in all acts of worship, sadaqah al-fitr must be fulfilled on time without delay. However, if not paid on time, it should be paid as soon as possible.

According to Imam Shafi’i, Ibn Hanbal and, one of the views attributed to Imam Malik, the obligation of the payment of fitrah takes place with the sunset of the last day of Ramadan; and according to Imam Abu Hanifa and some other mujtahid imams, it happens with the breaking of dawn on the day of eid. Yet, fitrah may be given within the month of Ramadan. Furthermore, it is better to be paid before the eid so that the poor may satisfy their needs for the eid. However, if sadaqah al-fitr is not given until the morning of the eid, it needs to be paid within the eid days. The fitrah which could not be paid on time should be paid as soon as possible (Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, III, 312, 322).

According to Shafi’i school, giving fitrah on the early days of Ramadan is permissible and delaying it until after the sunset on the first day of the eid without a valid excuse is haram (Nawawi, al-Majmu, VI, 128).

According to the majority of Muslim jurists, leaving the payment of fitrah after the eid is makruh, and such delayed payment is not accepted as qada, but rather a payment done on time (ada). Yet, some Muslim jurists consider leaving the payment of fitrah after the eid as haram and describe the payment done afterwards as qada (Jaziri, al-Madhahib al-Arba’a, I, 570).

Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, High Board of Religious Affairs FATWA