The Kashmir Pulse

SRINAGAR — Grand Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti Nasir-ul Islam Farooqi on Monday announced the Sadq-e-Fitr (Zakaat-ul-Fitr) as Rs 70 per person this holy month of Ramadan.

The Grand Mufti highlighted the significance of the charity under the (Sadq-e-Fitr), saying after reaching a consensus with the scholars of different schools of thought, the amount has been fixed as Rs 70 per person.

He said the special kind of charity has also to be paid on behalf of the infants.

It is in place to mention here that Sadq-e-Fitr is a religious charity paid by Muslims across the world by or before Eid-ul-Fitr prayers.

SRINAGAR — The ongoing holy month of Ramadhan has entered its final Ashra (10 days) and thousands of Muslims began to observe Aitikaf in Masjids and Shrines from Friday evening.

The month of blessings, Ramadhan, in the Islamic calendar is divided into three parts of 10 days with each stage called an Ashra, a word meaning “10” in Arabic. The third Ashra begins on the 20th day of Ramadhan as sunsets.

“The first Ashra reflects mercy of Allah (Rehmah), second part reflects forgiveness of Allah (Maghfirah), and third part reflects safety from the hell (Nijaat),” J&K Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam told KNS.

He said these last 10 days are also known as the days of seeking refuge from hellfire. “These last 10 days of Ramadhan are very significant as they are when Laylat-ul-Qadr takes place. The holy night of Laylat-ul-Qadr commemorates the night when the Qur'an was first revealed. This holy night has to be sought in the last 10 days of the odd nights,” he said.

As per Islamic scholars, the greatest Sunnah of the last 10 days of Ramadhan is the observance of Aitikaf. “The Aitikaf begins on the 20th day of Ramdhan with the sunset. In Aitikaf, all the time that a Muslim spends is in the worship of Allah Almighty to ensure that Allah grants forgiveness and blessings to the seeker,” the Grand Mufti said.

He added that no one knows whether they will be alive for the next Ramadhan or not, “therefore, the last 10 days should be spent in the best manner to bid farewell to this holy month and earn maximum blessings and mercy from Allah.”

Quoting Hadith, he said: “Ramadhan is the month, whose beginning is mercy, its middle is forgiveness and its end is emancipation from the fire of hell.”

He said indeed the month of Ramadhan is full of blessings, mercy and forgiveness. “It is the best opportunity for all the Muslims to collect more blessings of Allah and pray for their forgiveness and to be saved from the hellfire during this final Ashra of ongoing Ramadhan.”

He reiterated his appeal to Muslims for paying Sadaqat-ul-Fitr, also known as Zakat-ul-Fitr, by or before Eid prayers, the best within these 10 days. The amount has been fixed at Rs 65 per person for this year.

SRINAGAR — Sadaqat al-Fitr, also known as Zakat al-Fitr, amount has been fixed at Rs 65 per person, Jammu and Kashmir’s Grand Mufti, Nasir-ul-lslam announced on Monday.

Talking to the news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Grand Mufti said that Sadaqat al-Fitr is a duty required of every Muslim and becomes obligatory to pay it before the beginning of Eid prayer and could be given from the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.

He said the main purpose of Zakat al-Fitr is to provide the poor with a means with which they can celebrate the festival Eid al-Fitr along with the rest of the Muslims.

Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam urged people to ensure Fitr money reaches the poor and destitute before Eid. "It is better to prefer poor and destitute over Darul-Ulooms," he said.

Quoting Hadith, he said: "Every Muslim is required to pay Zakat al-Fitr at the conclusion of the month of Ramadan as a token of thankfulness to Allah for having enabled him or her to observe the obligatory fast. Its purpose is: as a levy on the fasting person. The fasting person will be hanging between the Earth and heavens and it will not be raised up to the Divine Presence without paying the Zakat al-Fitr."

He said that it can be given to the poor and needy but not for the construction purposes of Masjids and any other structures. "There is no harm for any person who is wealthier and wants to pay more than Rs 65 per person as fixed for this year," he said.