The people for whom one is responsible regarding their maintenance and Zakat al-Fitr fall into three categories: wives, slaves, and relatives. As for wives, their Fitra is upon him. This was the view of Malik, al-Shafi'i, and Ishaq. Abu Hanifa, al-Thawri, and Ibn al-Mundhir said: The Fitra of his wife is not incumbent upon him; rather, the Fitra is upon the wife herself, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Zakat al-Fitr is upon every male and female." Furthermore, it is a Zakat, so it is obligatory upon her, just like the Zakat on her own wealth. Our evidence is the report, and the fact that marriage is a cause that necessitates maintenance, and thus it necessitates the Fitra, just like property (ownership) and kinship—unlike Zakat on wealth, for it is not borne through ownership or kinship. If his wife has someone to serve her for a wage, the husband is not responsible for the servant's Fitra because what is incumbent is the wage, not the maintenance. If she is someone whose status requires a servant, then it is incumbent upon the husband to provide a servant for her. He then has the choice between buying her a servant, [or hiring one], or providing maintenance for her servant. [If he buys] her a servant or chooses to provide maintenance for her servant, then he is responsible for the servant's Fitra. If he hires a servant for her, he is not responsible for the servant's maintenance or Fitra, regardless of whether he stipulated the servant's provision upon the servant or not; because if the provision is an expense (wage), it comes from the hirer's wealth. If he volunteers to provide maintenance for someone whose maintenance is not incumbent upon him, his ruling is the same as one who volunteers to provide maintenance for a stranger, which we will mention, if Allah Almighty wills. If the wife is rebellious (nashiz) at the time the obligation becomes due, her Fitra is upon herself, not her husband, because her maintenance is no longer incumbent upon him. Abu al-Khattab favored the view that her Fitra remains upon him because the marriage contract still stands, and thus her Fitra remains binding upon him, like a sick wife who does not require maintenance. The first view is more correct, because she is someone whose maintenance is not incumbent upon him, so her Fitra is not incumbent upon him,
(2) Its takhrij was mentioned previously on page 281 from the hadith of Ibn Umar, on page 286 from the hadith of Abdullah ibn Amr, and from the hadith of Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib. (3) Omitted from: the original and B. (4) In the original and B: "or rents". (5) In the original: "if". (6) After four sections.
