Ramadan is an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of many people. Nashwa Abdel-Tawab reports on new ways of distributing zakah to the poor The Prophet Mohamed is reported to have said: "If a single person were to sleep hungry in a town, then God's protection is lifted from such a town." This hadith emphasises that no one (Muslim or non-Muslim) under this system should go hungry. Thus zakah is the first universal welfare system in human history. Ramadan is coming to a close. And Muslims are in a race to get closer to Allah by distributing their zakah to the poor especially in this blessed holy month. The media are crammed with advertisements for creative ideas for zakah and sadaqat (voluntary charity money). Ads are placed by organisations or private efforts on social networks like Facebook and e-mails. On TV, public commercials urge you to take care of an orphan, help a family or pay for a bed at Hospital 57357 for children's cancer. Organisations encourage people to give their money for such purposes even if the amount is small. "We all share this country with its problems," said Menna Ahmed, a volunteer in a big orphanage in Cairo, "and so we have a social and religious duty towards solving them. And since we are young and have learnt marketing, we try to market our goals in a way that attracts as much funds as we can. The new look of the ideas and ads are because young people are in charge now." Years ago Muslims used to give money to the poor directly. Later they started to distribute Ramadan bags containing food. Now, in addition to the money and bags, other ideas have come to the fore such as starting projects for the poor to sustain regular income. "If we give money to the poor, we won't solve the problem of their poverty so we thought of starting projects like providing them with a kiosk or a cow to sell its milk everyday," said Ahmed. "And why not make their dreams come true through zakah by fixing their roofs or constructing water pipes in their houses? I think this generation thinks practical." Rasha Mamdouh, an ex-board member in a charity organisation and now head of an NGO called Alkawthar in Al-Saff village, has another point of view. Mamdouh highlighted the importance of studying individual cases before you help them. "I am totally with new ideas but I am against random help without in-depth investigation and understanding," said Mamdouh. "It's nice to help everybody but it's not enough because in the end you'll end up doing nothing. "Charity work should be profound when you study a certain situation and give it the help needed to eradicate a problem. It's not like giving people around the country the same Ramadan bags, for example, without knowing the number of family members and if the contents of the bag suits them. It's not like giving a cow to a poor, lazy person to sell its milk and give them money for its food for three months, then leave them unaided. The net result is the death of the cow which they can't even sell because of the 'Not for Sale' stamped on its body. They are used to taking charity without work. Sometimes they are not trained to work and sometimes the job might be too big for them. "So understanding a case and taking the poor step by step to change their mentality and to help them change their status is more important than distributing money all over the country even if it is done with good intentions." Mamdouh now works in a village in which she knows most of the residents and feels responsible towards them. "In Ramadan rich people tend to get out their zakah and other sadaqat. So I try to collect money for the poor. I know what they need: who wants to get married, who wants to start a project, who is in debt and will be imprisoned if the money is not paid, who needs food, who needs education and so on. It's very important to know them personally, study their stories, and understand their needs before you start a project." Throughout the 29-30 days of fasting, Muslims give generously. They reach into their pockets and wallets to give to charities, and those in need, both openly and secretly. However, charity in Islam is not only giving money. It is any act of kindness or generosity given with an open heart and a desire to please God. Charity is something as simple as a smile or as grand a gesture as building a school or a hospital. Charity is also every kind or generous act in between. Muslims are encouraged to be generous at all times, however, Ramadan serves as a reminder. When the worries of the world and the trials of life are overwhelming, frail human beings tend to forget that God has provided blessings too numerous to count. Ramadan reminds us that these blessings are not meant to be clutched to the chest or hoarded away. God expects us to be generous and spend what He has provided. While generosity is a rewardable act at any time of the year, during Ramadan our good deeds and acts of kindness and generosity will be rewarded many times over. It is a month of mercy, when God allows us to reap rewards that far outweigh any sins we may have accumulated throughout the year. Ramadan is a month filled with reminders of God's generosity, kindness and forgiveness. God forgives the faults and sins of humankind even though they may be as plenty as the foam on the sea and His forgiveness and mercy are not restricted to Ramadan. One of the most important principles of Islam is that all things belong to God, and that wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust. But what kind of money is distributed in Ramadan and how much? "There are three kinds of money distributed in Ramadan," says Sheikh Emad Effat, manager of the Department of Islamic Legal Calculations at Dar Al-Iftaa (House of Legal Edicts). "In Ramadan Muslims prefer to give their zakah, sadaqat and Zakah Al-Fitr. Zakat Al-Fitr is a small amount that Muslims are obliged to pay as charity at the end of Ramadan. It is often referred to as Sadaqat Al-Fitr. It is dependent on the major items of food consumed by a person during the year. These may be rice, wheat, barley, dates, etc. In weight, fitr should be around three kilogrammes per person. It is also permissible to pay cash to the value of three kilogrammes of food grains. This year it is from around LE5 to LE135. The head of the family is obliged to give fitr to all persons (including servants of both sexes of any cast or creed) who take food in his house. It is compulsory on those who can afford it, and it is a sin not to give it. "Over the centuries, it has become a practice among Muslims to offer their zakah in the month of Ramadan. This is generally done to increase one's blessings. However, we should remember that zakah is due one year after a person's wealth reaches the value of nisab (minimum amount) for a type of item (gold, silver, savings, etc) and according to most scholars, his wealth has to remain above the nisab level throughout the course of the year. So it is impossible for the entire umma [nation] to reach the obligation of paying zakah at the onset of Ramadan. We should be clear in our minds that zakah is not tied with the month of Ramadan. An individual can bring forward his zakah due date in order to take advantage of the multi-fold blessings of Ramadan. In fact, to make it easy on the recipients whose needs have to be met, one might choose Ramadan for the extra sadaqat he gives out," explained Effat. "The word zakah means both 'purification' and 'growth'. Our possessions are purified by setting aside a proportion for those in need, and, like the pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and encourages new growth." Zakah is the amount of money that every adult, mentally stable, free, and financially able Muslim, male and female, must pay to support a specific category of people. This category of people is defined in the Quran, Surat Al-Taubah (9) Verse 60: "The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarers; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is knower, wise." Zakah is not simply the calculation of your dues on your gold and silver ornaments; its scope and implication are wide-ranging. As such, it requires us to be diligent and aware of various details related to our various forms of wealth. It is also akin to worship and should be done sincerely. At the minimum, a learned scholar should be consulted. Effat added that the goal of Zakah was allowing the poor to own money, even for just one day, and to consume it the way they want. "It's no problem -- give them cows or kiosks or buildings or anything with zakah money but they have to agree on it. It's not only that they need it but they agree on having it instead of money."
