What is the required amount and distribution method for feeding sixty poor persons in expiation?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Zihar
Primary text
The mandatory quantity for the feeding obligation in all expiations is one Mudd of wheat, or half a Sa' of dates or barley, for each poor person. Zayd ibn Thabit, Ibn Abbas, and Ibn Umar held this view, as narrated by Imam Ahmad. Abu Hurairah stated that one Mudd of any type of food suffices. Al-Zubayr ibn Thabit, Ibn Abbas, and Ibn Umar were of the opinion that one Mudd of wheat suffices. This is supported by the narration that the Prophet gave Aws's brother's wife fifteen Sa' of barley to feed sixty poor persons, which equals one Mudd per person, and by extension, half a Sa' of barley or dates for each person if generalized from the expiation for breaking a fast during Ramadan. This amount is established as the minimum due to the command specifying the number of recipients (sixty) rather than the number of days.
Supporting text
Abu Hanifa ruled that feeding one poor person for sixty days suffices, based on the reasoning that the poor person did not receive their full due sustenance for one day from the expiation in a single instance. Al-Shafi'i, Al-Awza'i, and others hold the view of one Mudd of wheat, supported by the hadith mentioning fifteen Sa' of barley for sixty people, which is one-quarter of a Sa' per person, or half a Sa' per person when generalized. Malik stated that two Mudd of any kind of food is due to each poor person. Al-Thawri and the Hanafis stated that two Mudd of wheat or one Sa' of dates or barley is due to each poor person, based on the narration concerning Salama ibn Sakhr where the Prophet ordered feeding 'a Sa' of dates'.