Zakat, Fasting, and Hajj in Fath al-Mu'in

The chapters on the financial and ritual pillars in Fath al-Mu'in demonstrate al-Malibari's skill at presenting Shafi'i law at a level that is both practically complete and intellectually honest about the complexity of the issues.

The zakah chapter covers all the standard categories with enough detail for practical application. On agricultural produce, al-Malibari addresses the question of rice — the staple crop of the Indian Ocean world — applying the Shafi'i principle that crops subject to zakah are those measured by volume and capable of being stored as a staple food. Rice clearly qualifies, and al-Malibari gives the applicable rate: one-tenth for rain-watered crops and one-twentieth for crops dependent on irrigation.

For zakah on trade goods, the work addresses the questions that arose in the active trading communities of the Malabar coast: goods held in different currencies, goods in transit, goods partially owned by a Muslim partner, and goods whose value fluctuates significantly through the year. Al-Malibari applies the Shafi'i principles — assessment at the end of the hawl at current market value — to these specific commercial scenarios.

The fasting chapter in Fath al-Mu'in covers Ramadan fasting and the voluntary fasts recommended by the Sunnah. On the intention for Ramadan fasting, al-Malibari confirms the Shafi'i requirement of a nightly intention, explaining why the Shafi'i school insists on this against the Hanafi allowance of a general monthly intention: each day of Ramadan is a separate act of worship in the Shafi'i view, requiring its own intention.

The chapter on the nullifiers of fasting is carefully organized. Al-Malibari distinguishes between nullifiers that require qada' only and those that additionally require kaffarah. For the Shafi'i school, kaffarah (freeing a slave, then fasting two months, then feeding sixty poor persons) applies specifically to deliberate sexual intercourse during a day of Ramadan that one was obligated to fast. Other deliberate nullifiers require qada' but not kaffarah.

On hajj, Fath al-Mu'in addresses the conditions of the obligation with attention to the specific situation of people in the Indian Ocean world, for whom the journey to Mecca was a major undertaking. The Shafi'i principle that the obligation requires 'ability' (istita'ah) — including financial capacity, physical fitness, and secure passage — is applied with awareness that the conditions for travelers from India or Southeast Asia differed significantly from those for residents of the Arabian Peninsula.