Question
If I hand over a bank cheque to a poor person on the EID day just before going for EID prayer (as it is the best time of paying sadaqatul fitr) intending to pay my & my family’s sadaqatul fitre, will my sadaqatul fitr be treated as being paid? I am confused because all the banks are closed during the Eid holidays and thus the money can be collected only after the Eid vacation. So ownership of that amount is not achieved at that time.
Answer
By merely handing over a bank cheque to a recipient of Sadaqatul Fitr, it will not be considered as discharged. Yes, when the cheque is cashed or the recipient receives the money in his account then only will the Sadaqatul Fitr be considered as discharged. Also keep in mind, if the cheque is lost or gets burnt before the recipient cashed the cheque, Sadaqatul Fitr will not be discharged. However, if the poor person gets a businessman to
cash the cheque for him and thereby receives the money, then Sadaqatul fitr will be considered as discharged.
Knowing that the banks are closed in your country on the day of Eid, you should discharge
your Sadaqatul Fitr a few days before Eid (when the banks are open), so that the poor person
may cash the cheque and also purchase his needs for the day of Eid.
Checked and Approved By:
Mufti Muhammed Saeed Motara Saheb D.B.
References
Ahsanul Fataawa pg.257 vol4