Abuja Muslim Forum donates maiden zakat

The Abuja Muslim Forum (AMF) has donated the first zakat of the organisation in the territory.

Speaking on the modality for the disbursement of the zakat, Mallam Ibrahim Idris, Coordinating Secretary of AMF, said that they got some amount of money, but took a different style in disbursing the monies.

“Instead of just gathering poor people to distribute the money, we divided it according to how Allah divided it into the eight categories. So we shared the money equally among the eight categories.

“One of the categories is poor. Another category are needy. That is why the Glorious Qur’an separated between masakin (poor) and fakir (needy). Another category is those working for the collection and disbursement of the zakah.  Allah has said we should give them even if they are rich. Another category are those whose heart has turned to Islam; that is new converts, new reverts in Islam.

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“Another category is fisabilillah (giving for Allah sake). Anyone in the course of da’wah (Islamic propagation). Another category is somebody who is in debt, cannot pay back. Another category is somebody who is in shackles, bondage, like prisoners.

“Another category is those who are wayfarers. They are on their way to their homes or from their homes, and they are stranded. These are the eight categories, and we share this money equally,” he said.

He also said that the amount shared was N88,000 to each category and that for the needy, the poor, and those in debt, were combined together and look for 13 indigent members of AMF and share N20,000 each to them.

He said that, the wayfarer share was given to the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) from Mabushi Branch, to be shared to those who may be stranded and that they were also given a logbook to record those they assisted till the N88,000 is exhausted.

The Ameer (leader), AMF, Alhaji Abdulrasaq Ajani, said that the decision of the forum was to ensure justice in the distribution of the zakat.

A former Ameer of the AMF, Alhaji Lukman Amoo, who is currently the Chairman of the Zakat Team, said that it is incumbent on the wealthy to take care of the needy and that zakat alone would not eradicate poverty if other measures of empowerment are not entrenched.