The Zakat and Zadaqat Foundation, under The Muslim Congress (TMC), an Islamic propagation group, has distributed items and cash worth N1.3 million to 36 less-privileged people in Ondo State.
Mr Moruf Ahmed, National Operations Manager of the group, made the distribution and disbursement to the beneficiaries on Sunday in Akure.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Zakat is a form of alms-giving treated in Islam as a religious obligation or tax, which, by Quranic ranking, is next to prayer in order of importance.
As one of the five pillars of Islam, Zakat is a religious obligation for all Muslims who meet the necessary criteria for wealth.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that items distributed included sewing machines (both ordinary and industrial), deep freezers, bricklayer’s equipment, computers (with printers) and cash ranging from N50,000 to N100,000.
He disclosed that the Foundation had spent about N30 million to empower the less-privileged in 15 states this year.
The operations manager, who said that the gesture was aimed at poverty alleviation, urged Muslims to cultivate the habit of giving back to the society to support the poor and the vulnerable “because government cannot do it alone”.
Ahmed explained that the Foundation was a charity organisation that collected Zakat from those who had and distributed same to the downtrodden and the less-privileged, as enjoined by Allah in the Holy Quran, chapter 9 verse 60.
“This is our third year in Ondo State. In 2017, 31 people benefitted; in 2018, it was 32 people; but for this year, 36 people have benefitted from items and cash of about N1.3 million.
“Yesterday, we were in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, where about 38 people benefitted and about N2.7 million were disbursed, with equipment ranging from sewing machines, grinding machine to bricklayers ‘equipment.
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“So far, we have been to 15 states, including Rivers, Ebonyi, Kwara, Nassarawa, Kogi, Niger, Kaduna, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Ekiti and Ondo States.
“We still have five states to cover for this year’s Zakat and Zadaqat distribution and empowerment. These are Edo, Delta, Enugu, Ogun and Lagos.
“We have the target of going to 20 states in the country for this year. Last year, we covered 17 states; so, we just added three more states.
“By the special grace of Allah, the more we get money from our well-to-do Muslims faithful, the more we are going to spread the gestures to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
“Those we have empowered, either by cash or equipment, are expected to to plough back to the economy and, by so doing, they too would have contributed to the economic development of the country,” he said.
Two of the beneficiaries – Mrs Fatima Danjuma, an indigene of Kogi State and Taofeeq Eyo of Akwa Ibom State, expressed appreciation for the Foundation’s gestures and promised to use what had been given to them judiciously.
“We are very grateful to Allah who has used Zakat and Zadaqat Foundation to empower us.
“And for those who contributed in one way or other for the sake of Allah so that we can become someone in future, we pray Allah to reward them accordingly,” they said.
