Who to give zakātul-fitr to when time is restricted

Answered by our Shaykh, the ‘AllāmahWho to give zakātul-fitr to when time is restricted, the Trustworthy Advisor, Abu ‘Abdirrahman Yahya bin ‘Ali Al-Hajūri – may Allāh preserve him – on the 16th, Rabī Al-Awwal, 1430H

Question:

If I cannot find a poor person to give zakātul-fitr to before the eid prayer do I give to my neighbours house?

Answer:

The number of needy people are many, because of this it is upon you to give the zakātul-fitr before he goes to eid whether it is in your town or other than your town, and it is not binding for it to be in your village, some villages have rich people in it, there is no one eligible for fitr, and from here it is possible to send it and to give importance to that, before the coming of eid, for verily it is zakātul-fitr of Ramadhān, except if he sends it with a person to a poor person or poor people then it remains with that person (that he entrusted) until after eid, his obligation is lifted, and it is accepted from him.

Translated by : Abu ‘Abdillah ‘Omar bin Yahya Al-‘Akawi

Original Fatwa:
الكنز الثمين في الإجابة على أسئلة طلبة العلم والزائرين (3 (https://www.sh-yahia.net/show_books_38.html)

Under: كتاب الزكاة

Entitled: مصارف زكاة الفطر عند ضيق الوقت