The Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society on Saturday in Abuja disbursed over N10m to 110 beneficiaries, including five Christians, who were given cash and other empowerment equipment.
Speaking at the event to mark the maiden edition of its annual National Zakat Day, with the theme, ‘Zakat: Pivot for Poverty Eradication’, the National Chief Imam of the society, Imam Fuad Adeyemi, said the exercise was in consonance with Islamic injunction to assist the poor and to tackle poverty in the country.
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He said that the Al-Habibiyyah Zakat and Empowerment Foundation (AHZEF), an arm of the society, established in 2009, has been collecting and disbursing zakat, periodically to selected beneficiaries in very strict compliance with Quranic injunction.
“Since its inception, the foundation has collected and publicly disbursed over N60m to various categories of beneficiaries with bias for education and women. Seventy percent of the funds were used to buy income generating materials such as Sewing/Designing Tailoring machines, pumping machine for irrigation farming activities. Grinding machines, welding machines, Generators, Barbing/hair dressing equipment, fridges and freezers.
“To further create awareness about the importance of Zakat payment, a day has been set aside as our ‘National Zakat Day’ to remind ourselves about the importance of the 3rd Pillar of Islam and perhaps the most neglected Pillar.
Adeyemi said that if all eligible Muslims pay zakat in an open and transparent manner, many of the vices in the country today will be eliminated, thus the Islamic society views payment of zakat as having capacity to reduce if not eliminate banditry.
“We, therefore, call on Muslims nationwide to please purify their wealth by paying zakat and when in doubt about their status, they should contact us to help them determine their status,” he said.
