Section: If one volunteers to provide for the living expenses of a person during the month of Ramadan, most of our companions choose the view that the Fitra is mandatory upon him. Ahmad stipulated this in a report by Abu Dawud regarding someone who takes an orphan into his care to pay on their behalf. This is based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) statement: "Pay the Sadaqat al-Fitr for those whom you maintain." This person is among those whom he maintains, and because he is an individual whom he spends upon, his Fitra is incumbent upon him, just like his slave. Abu al-Khattab chose the view that the Fitra is not incumbent upon him, because the maintenance is not obligatory upon him, therefore the Fitra is not obligatory upon him, just as if he did not maintain him. This is the opinion of the majority of scholars, and it is the correct view, Allah Almighty willing. Ahmad's statement on this is interpreted as being for recommendation, not for obligation, and the Hadith is interpreted as referring to those whose maintenance is obligatory upon him, not to the actual provision of sustenance. This is evidenced by the fact that the Fitra of a runaway slave is mandatory upon him even if he is not currently maintaining him. If he were to own a slave at the time of sunset, or get married, or have a child born to him, their Fitra would be mandatory upon him due to the obligation of their maintenance upon him, even if he does not maintain them. Conversely, if he were to sell his slave, divorce his wife, or they die, or his child dies, their Fitra would not be mandatory upon him even if he had been maintaining them. Furthermore, his statement: "whom you maintain" (tamununa) is a present-tense verb, which implies the present or the future, not the past. Someone whom he maintained in Ramadan only had his maintenance provided in the past, so he does not fall under the report. If he were included, it would necessitate the obligation of Fitra upon one who maintained another for only a single night, and there is nothing in the report that restricts it to the month or anything else; thus, restricting it to the maintenance of the month is an arbitrary judgment (tahakkum). Based on this view, the Fitra of this contested individual is upon himself, just as if he had not maintained him. According to the view of our companions, what is considered is the expenditure throughout the entire month. Ibn Aqil said: The analogy of our school is that if he maintains him on the last night, his Fitra becomes mandatory, by analogy to one who owns a slave at sunset. If a group maintains him throughout the entire month, or an individual maintains him for part of the month, then according to this derivation by Ibn Aqil, the