National Chief Imam of Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society, AIS, Sheik Fuad Adeyemi, has called for the proper disbursement of Zakat to help uplift Muslims from poverty.
Zakat, a mandatory almsgiving for Muslims, requires them to pay 2.5 percent of their wealth annually if it exceeds a certain threshold.
This religious duty promotes solidarity by redistributing wealth to the poor.
Adeyemi made the call during the fourth National Zakat Day and the 14th Public Zakat Disbursement of the Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society Zakat/Endowment Foundation.
The event, held in Paduma Community in Abuja, witnessed the disbursement of N15 million in cash, scholarships and other empowerment items to 90 beneficiaries.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, the Imam explained that the disbursement was aimed at alleviating poverty among Muslims and strengthen economic stability in the country.
He encouraged the recipients to invest the money and items wisely, so that they could, in turn, contribute to Zakat disbursement in the future.
“There is no poverty in Islam; it is just that many people are not giving their Zakat in the way Allah has instructed.
“This is why we organised this lecture to educate our Muslim community on the correct way to give Zakat and the significance of endowment in Islam,” Adeyemi said.
Adeyemi emphasised that the Zakat disbursement was done transparently, with beneficiaries properly screened according to the criteria set out in the Holy Qur’an.
“We ensured that all beneficiaries met the requirements and no family member of the zakat committee benefited from this disbursement,” he said.
NAN also reports that the event with the theme, “Exploring Waqf (Endowment) for Sustainable Measures Against Poverty,” seeks to highlight the importance of endowments in supporting long-term poverty alleviation efforts. NAN
