Al-Habibiyyah donates N10m to 101 indigents in FCT

The Al-Habibiyyah Charity and Endowment Foundation of the Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society has distributed startup tools and scholarships worth over N10 million to 101 vulnerable persons, including Christians, to help them become economically self-reliant.

The National Chief Imam of Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society, Imam Fuad Adeyemi, on Sunday, said that the gesture being on the third National Zakat Day and 13th public zakat disbursement was part of the commandment of Allah to give charity to the needy.

He also said it was part of their effort to combat poverty among vulnerable groups, thus the theme of the event being: “WAQF: Combating Poverty Among Citizenry”.

Adeyemi explained that, “Zakat (charity) is the third pillar of Islam, and if it is executed well it is enough to make the entire country, not only the Muslim community, better and it could raise the status of the beneficiary.

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“We realise that people are not paying their zakat as rightly as they are supposed to.

“And we don’t have the authority to force people to pay their zakat. That is why we are doing this symbolic presentation to encourage them to give (zakat) charity. As a religious organisation, the essence of religion is to cater for the needy to ease the pains of the poor, especially at this critical time of our nation.”

The guest lecturer and Jaiz Bank’s Sharia Compliance Officer, Imam Abdulrahman Alalubosa, who spoke on the theme, enumerated the significance of charity in Islamic perspective and encouraged wealthy Nigerians to prioritise alms giving.

On her part, Hajiya Habibah Ahmed, the Director Endowment and Empowerment of the Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society, said that the event was very important for the benefit of the giver, receiver and society, especially being an investment for the world and hereafter.

Also, the representative of the Chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Malam Mustapha Alkali, stressed the importance of giving zakat to the vulnerable.