The minimum unit of food cited for Zakat al-Fitr per family member is one saʿ. A saʿ is a traditional Islamic measure, commonly described as four double handfuls of staple food such as grain, dates, raisins, or other customary provisions.
Zakat al-Fitr is an obligatory form of charity connected with the end of Ramadan. Its purpose is both spiritual and social: it helps address shortcomings in a person’s fasting and provides food or its monetary equivalent so poorer people can participate in Eid al-Fitr.
The amount is generally presented as the same for each eligible person, regardless of wealth. A household therefore calculates the obligation for each family member, though details about who must pay and whether cash is acceptable vary among legal schools and contemporary authorities.
A saʿ is not the same as a mithqal, dirham, or dinar. Those terms refer to historical units associated mainly with weight or currency, whereas the saʿ is the specific measure traditionally used for this food-based obligation.