Islamic scholars advocate organised zakat collection, distribution to tap its full economic potential

Islamic scholars on Sunday called for institutional and organised Zakat collection and distribution to fully tap the economic potential of the mandatory donation.

Zakat is the mandatory donation of a certain proportion of wealth to charitable causes by all solvent Muslims as per Islamic law.

In Islamic practice, the government has a responsibility to ensure an organised zakat management system that can potentially eliminate poverty in the country, the Islamic scholars added at a seminar in Dhaka city, suggesting disseminating proper knowledge of the mandatory Islamic donation among the stakeholders. 

The seminar titled “Importance of Zakat, Ushor, Waqf for Human Welfare” was held on the concluding day of the two-day 12th Zakat Fair that began in the city's Aloki Convention Centre on Saturday. It was mainly aimed at imams, with several hundreds of them attending the seminar.

Ushor is a tax on the agricultural produce of land mandatory for Muslims, while Waqf is a donation of assets to a perpetual trust in order for general or specific charitable causes.

Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice Abdur Rouf addressed the event as the chief guest.

Prof Zubair Mohammad Ehsanul Hoque, chairman, Department of Arabic, University of Dhaka, presented the keynote paper.

In his presentation, he highlighted as to why an eligible Muslim is bound to pay zakat in light of the holy Quran and Ḥadīth.

He also emphasised utilising Waqf assets properly, as higher education in so many Muslim countries is based on Waqf assets.

Islamic scholar Prof Mawlana Mokhter Ahmad urged the imams attending the seminar to become doctors of society as it is facing a moral degradation.

Alleging that the zakat collection system is faulty, the speakers demanded an institutional zakat management system; otherwise, zakat won’t be a successful tool to eliminate poverty in society.

“Zakat should be distributed in a way that a person receiving it would never require it, not in the way so many people distribute it in some specific month as a ritual,” Prof Ahmad said. 

President of Association of Imams' Waliur Rahman Khan said that Allah repeatedly mandates the payment of zakat, yet people in society intentionally try to bypass this mandatory donation.

Mohammad Monzur E Elahi, associate professor at National University, and Kazi Abu Huraira, Muhaddis, Islamic Foundation Bangladesh, among others, spoke.

On the second day, a prize-giving ceremony was held where genius students of schools and madrasas were awarded.

Rahimafrooz, Khadim Ceramics, Kohinoor Chemical Company Ltd, Rahim Steel, South Bridge and Hajj Finance Company Ltd sponsored this year's zakat fair.

According to the organisers, the fair had stalls of various financial as well as zakat institutions, zakat consultation desks, and stalls offering various Islamic books.

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