Fixing a maidservant’s wage as food and clothing

Question

Question: In our household a maidservant cooks the food. It has been agreed with her that she will be given food at both mealtimes and breakfast, and one suit of clothes each at Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. It was not settled what exactly she would be given for food and breakfast. In the house, according to our means, halwa (a sweet dish of semolina or flour cooked in ghee), sweets and the like are prepared, and some of these are also given to her to eat.

Answer

Whatever is given, apart from the fixed food and clothing, by way of a bonus (in‘am), for example on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, may be counted towards sadaqa and zakat. Caution (tanbih): an employment arrangement for food and clothing alone is not proper.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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