| "Let me assist the weak, when you actually receive assistance from Ilahi and receive the livelihood which comes upon when you offer assistance to your people who are weak"
In another hadis, Rasulullah s.a.w. had explained how big a person's position if he help the widowed and the poor:
"A person who has try to help the widowed and the poor is of the same position as those who went for war in the way of Allah".
Islam has made it obligatory that each Muslim individual work hard for livelihood so as not to become a burden to others. However if the person is unable to work, then it is the duty of the government or the Islam community to help him. Al-Quran had determined that the people, who do not have any means of living, have a share of the rich's wealth and this share can be taken away from the rich by the means of Islamic law. Firman Allah s.w.t in picturing the goodwill of Mukminin individuals.
"Those who prays. And those who have specify a portion of his wealth for the poor and the fakir” The portion of the rich's wealth will be the poor share. It is obligatory for the rich to give it out.
If the rich does not want to give it out voluntarily, then Islam allows the group who is obliged, to take it from the rich with force. Apart from zakat and ordinary donations, there is also one law in syariat Islam that is named fidyah/kaffarah. This means that the punishments that is punishable on those who goes against an ibadat and as a compensation to atone for the sins, becomes a donation to the poor. Example, a person who breaks his fast because he had a sexual intercourse with his wife in the earlier part of the day in Ramadan therefore it is obligatory for him to free a slave, if there's no slave, he must fast for 2 consecutive months. If he is unable to fast, then it is obligatory for him to give food to 60 poor and fakir. This is also the punishment for those who go against hokum zihar . There is a few more kaffarah or fidyah whose way of atoning are also by giving food to the poor and the fakir. This is how we find syariat Islam protects the poor and fakir by ensuring that they receive food through the punishments of those who go against the hukum and also becomes a way of atoning for sins or taking care of the carelessness. It is said that donations can atone for sins as long as it doesn't snatch other Muslim' individual's share. Nabi Muhammad s.a.w commandent:
"Donations can erase sins likewise of that of how water can extinguish fire". If the wrongdoing is from snatching or maltreat other Muslim's share then the sins cannot be atone by fidyah or kaffarah, and it is obligatory to return the share to the owner. With this, it is clear how Islam made fidyah/kaffarah obligatory as one of the way to protect the poor and fakir. Mazhab Maliki, Syafie and Hambali stated that it is not sah or it is not obligatory to pay zakat fitrah, fidyah or kaffarah with the value of money because there is no nas that stated it. But according to mazhab Hanafi, it allows and it is better to pay by value of money as it allows the poor and fakir to buy the necessary things. But by looking that the poor and the fakir maybe does not need any help for food, but their needs is more to clothing and other things.
Meanwhile, with giving him excess food, he might sell the excess food at a lower price than the market price. And if the type of food is readily available in the market, there's going to be more loss. So if food is needed, giving food is more afdhal. Looking at the original nas from the Al-Quran and al-Hadis that in principle wishes that the poor feels obliged to defend their fate, and if they are given a choice, they prefer money to food, which they have received a lot of, the Fatwa committee decides that there is a must to adopt Imam Hanafi's opinion in this problem and thus, comes a fatwa that fidyah / kaffarah with value (money) is enabled according to time condition so as to match the way the poor defends their fate.
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