Muslims count zakat as a mandatory contribution of a certain portion of one’s wealth to support the poor or needy or for other charitable purposes, mainly during the month of Ramzan
Published Date – 07:40 AM, Wed – 29 March 23
As things return to normal after the pandemic, the number of people offering zakat has steadily increased.
Hyderabad: The city’s Muslim community is gaining momentum in distributing “zakat” as Ramadan approaches. It is estimated that in Hyderabad alone this month, about several billion zakats are distributed in various forms to the eligible poor groups.
Muslims count zakat (one of the five pillars of Islam) as an obligatory contribution of a certain portion of one’s wealth to support the poor or needy or for other charitable purposes, mainly during the month of Ramzan. According to the regulations, zakat is calculated based on a person’s annual savings and a minimum of 2.5% is to be allocated.
“Zakah distributions have dropped in the last year. Obviously, this is due to the lockdown caused by Covid in previous years and the global financial recession. Looking at the trend so far this year, we can say that everything is back to normal, just like before Covid days,” said Mujtaba Hasan Askari of the Helping Hands Foundation.
About one-third of income is used by community individuals to provide food rations directly to poor families. “Since the Covid pandemic, people have become more enthusiastic about distributing food rations to needy families as it brings more good deeds. In fact, several grocery stores are offering grocery packs for Rs 1,500, Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000 , for distribution to those in need,” said social worker Ilyas Shamshi.
Another third of zakat money is now paid to madrasahs, which provide students with an Islamic syllabus in addition to modern education. In addition, social organizations and NGOs working in fields such as healthcare, education, women’s and children’s welfare, and self-employment also receive a large amount of funds to engage in welfare activities.
The remainder of the amount is distributed directly by individuals to beneficiaries they know. It could be their immediate family, friends, acquaintances or any strangers who approach them directly or seek help through someone they know.
“Sometimes families, although in financial distress, do not openly seek help due to social stigma. It is even more important to identify such families. I know of several families where the breadwinner died or the breadwinner was in poor health And facing financial problems, so I help them with the education of children in these families or marriages etc. I get great satisfaction in helping them and satisfying them In fact, my zakat has been delivered to the right hands,” said Mohd Faiz Baig, who runs a tour and travel agency.
Illustration (How is Zakat calculated?) “Zakat is an obligation of every ‘sahib–e-nisaab’ Muslim, which means saving no less than the value of 77 grams of gold or 520 grams of silver per year. If they have no money, they A part of the property has to be sold and paid. When calculating, one year (12 months) should be calculated,” said Maulana Hafez Mohd Rizwan Qureshi, Khateeb, Mecca Mosque.
Zakat is applicable to a wide range of assets such as gold, silver, land and property, business shares, cash and bank deposits, loans, government bonds, provident funds, company shares, agricultural/factory products. Muslims usually calculate “zakat” with the help of ulemas or reference books. Zakat can be paid to any of eight eligible beneficiaries: the poor (fuqara), the needy (miskeen), the administrator of zakat (amil), the new convert to Islam Those who teach (muallaf), free captives/slaves (riqab), debtors (gharimin), work for Allah (fisabillillah) and passers-by (ibnus sabil).
