Zakat Assistance Exceeds QR212 Million In 2024: Awqaf

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) QNA

Doha: The Department of Zakat Affairs at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs announced the total assistance it provided to beneficiaries within the State of Qatar during 2024, which amounted to QR212.237.868 million, and thousands of beneficiaries benefited from it inside Qatar.

In a statement today, Awqaf said that these efforts come based on the approved regulations, laws and mechanisms, and confirmation of the administration's keenness to direct Zakat funds to their beneficiaries in accordance with the sharia banks stipulated in the Holy Quran.

For his part, Director of Awqaf's Zakat Affairs Department Malallah Abdul Rahman Al Jaber confirmed that the department is working hard to investigate and study requests for assistance, as the donors have entrusted the Zakat Affairs Department on their behalf to deliver the Zakat funds that they pay to the beneficiaries from needy families within the State of Qatar according to legitimate banks.

He explained that the department, through the Zakat Disbursements Section, investigates the eligibility of those who apply for assistance by verifying the validity of the data and documents provided, conducting office and field research, and making sure that they are entitled to assistance; to ensure the delivery of Zakat funds to the beneficiaries.

He pointed out that the Department of Zakat Affairs has the largest database of those eligible for assistance within the State of Qatar, where the number of files reached about 30.000 files.

He added that the Department of Zakat Affairs provides easy and secure means of collecting Zakat funds from individuals and companies throughout the year, and has a number of collection channels spread throughout the country, such as collection offices, smart Applications, website, fast collection, and ATMs; in order to facilitate the Zakat payers to perform their Zakat.

Al Jaber highlighted the importance of Zakat as a fundamental pillar of Islam, and its role in achieving social solidarity and alleviating the suffering of needy families, pointing out that Zakat is not limited to being a financial worship, but represents a way to achieve balance in society, where souls and money are cleansed, and achieve blessing in livelihood.

For his part, Head of the Zakat Disbursements Section Muhammad Hassan Al Tamimi at the Ministry explained that the assistance provided varies between: financial assistance: includes periodic and lump sum assistance, tuition fee coverage, carers support, therapeutic assistance, as well as in-kind assistance: such as Zakat Al Fitr and charity basket, which are provided in different seasons.

He underlined that the Department of Zakat Affairs is committed to disbursing Zakat funds within Qatar by 100 percent, stressing that the application for assistance is done electronically through the department's application or website, where requests for assistance go through precise stages including document verification, social research, forensic audit, field research, and the approval of the aid committee and the approval of disbursement, in order to ensure that it reaches its beneficiaries.

As for the mechanism followed by the Zakat Affairs Department in receiving applicants for assistance, he mentioned that applying for assistance is done electronically through the department's application on smart devices or the department's website, once the department receives the request for assistance, the documents attached to the application are studied and confirmed its completeness, and then transfer the application to the social researcher to do desk research and prepare a detailed report after communicating with the case requesting assistance.

He added that the application is transferred electronically for checking the file, the report and all the attached documents, to be transferred afterwards to the competent committee; to study the application, the report of the social researcher and the approval of assistance after transferring it to the forensic researcher and express a forensic opinion about the eligibility of the case for assistance according to the legitimate banks and the approved regulations, and at the last stage the file is transferred to the collection department and Zakat accounts to disburse assistance to the beneficiary.

For his part, Head of the Collection and Zakat Accounts at Zakat Fund Mohammed Ahmed Al Sayed said that the total financial assistance provided amounted to QR192.717.813 million, while in-kind assistance reached QR19.520.055 million.

He underscored that the Department of Zakat Affairs disburses the full amount of Zakat collected to the beneficiaries, without any administrative deductions for the employees, calling on individuals to commit to performing the duty of Zakat because of its great positive impact on the individual and society.

He added that the channels of collection of Zakat funds are multiple, including: the application of the Department of Zakat Affairs on smart devices, collection offices and points scattered throughout the country and in markets and commercial complexes, the department's website, the payment of Zakat through ATMs of Qatar Islamic Bank, the payment of Zakat through the devices of the General Directorate of Endowments, the payment of Zakat through transfer to the accounts of the department with banks (Qatar Islamic Bank, International Islamic, Dukhan Bank, Al Rayyan Bank), and the express collection service, through phone numbers: (55199990 -55199996 ).

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