Strangers abandoned…on your doorstep

Stories untold…on your doorstep

Opportunities unfold…on your doorstep

Donate


Can you really afford to miss what lies on your doorstep?

Not only a beautiful act of worship, Zakah is the third pillar of Islam, preceding even the Fast of Ramadhan.  Zakah is most frequently mentioned in the Qur’an alongside Salah and carries with it immeasurable benefit for the individual and community as a whole. For the giver, Zakah is a means to both purify and increase one’s wealth and break material attachments. It is also an unparalleled opportunity to develop gratitude and humility through giving. For the recipient, it is a means to alleviate hardship and a testament to the community’s solidarity.

Distributing Zakah in the UK?

Not just permissible, but obligatory

Charity (Zakah) is to be collected from the rich (members of a community) and distributed amongst its poor.”(Al Bukhari and Muslim)With so much turmoil taking place across the world, it is easy to feel those most deserving of our Zakah are those abroad; for, surely, how needy can Muslim families in the UK really be? But right on our very doorstep, mothers struggle with rent and bills, households strangled by debt and children suffer in silence. With benefits at times curtailed, or individuals existing in the shadow of financial sanctions – This is the scene of many HHUGS families in the UK.

Whilst not widely known, the scholars of the four classical schools of thought (madhahib) are in agreement that the most deserving recipients of zakat are actually those in your own country and that Zakah should not be paid past the distance from which you would begin shortening your prayers. One of the undisputed conditions of Zakah is to seek the most deserving families from among your local communities. Imam Ash Shafi’I went as far as to say if you pay Zakah outside your local community it is not accepted as Zakah and must be paid again; whilst Imam Abu Hanifah said it is only permissible to send your Zakah abroad after the explicit permission from the governor of your land.

How will my Zakah money be used?

Of the 8 categories of people eligible for Zakah, at HHUGS we distribute zakah funds amongst the following three:

  1. Al-Fuqaraa’: The Poor
  2. Al-Masakeen: The Needy
  3. Al-Gharimeen: Those in Debt

Your donations will provide:

  • Shelter – in the form of rent payments or emergency accommodation
  • Essentials utilities of electricity, gas and water
  • Food vouchers and basic necessities to allow families to survive
  • Clearing debts

Rest assured, none of your zakah donation will be used towards administrative or income generation costs.

Loosening the knot: Hajar’s story

“They took all the money, not even leaving behind enough to buy bread. At the time, we were left with nothing. I didn’t have any family to fall back on. We couldn’t really afford to go anywhere and had no clothes with us apart from what we were wearing…I feel my mind has gone. I don’t even have the ability to laugh anymore or speak normally like I used to. “

A frail grandmother in her 80s, unable to speak English, Hajar witnessed several raids on her home and the arrest of her son. A shocking turn of events followed as she was arrested and alone in a police cell herself. Released on bail, Hajar’s benefits were cut off and she lacked money for the basic essentials of food, rent or bills. It was not long before Hajar was facing the threat of eviction. Isolated and without anywhere to turn, she lost considerable weight and her hair fell out from the stress, leaving her bald to this day. Terrified, she lived in fear of the bailiffs, refusing to open the door to anyone, until she found HHUGS. For a year in the run up to her trial, HHUGS stood by Hajar in her darkest hour, paying her monthly rent to prevent her eviction, providing her with shopping vouchers, qurbani meat and a card to pay her utility bills.

LOOK CLOSER TO HOME – DONATE YOUR ZAKAH TO HHUGS

Donate online now

By phone

Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

0207 733 2104

—

Bank Transfer

You can donate by bank transfer directly to our account

HHUGS
Sort Code: 40-52-40
Account number: 00025194
IBAN: GB89CAF40524000025194
Beneficiary bank Swift: CAFBGB21XXX
Correspondent (SWIFT/BIC code): MIDLGB22XXX

—

Post

You can donate via cheque or postal order. Please make them payable to ‘HHUGS’ and send to:

HHUGS
43 Berkeley Square,
4th Floor,
London,
W1J 5FJ
Please include the reference “Zakah” with your donation.

—

What is Zakat?
Zakat is the third pillar of Islam and is an essential act of worship and is carried out to please Allah. Its importance and rewards are highlighted several times in the Quran such as:

“And perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and give Zakat, and whatever of good (deeds that Allah loves) you send forth for yourselves before you, you shall find it with Allah. Certainly, Allah is All-Seer of what you do.” (2:110)

“And let not those who [greedily] withhold what Allah has given them of His bounty ever think that it is better for them. Rather, it is worse for them. Their necks will be encircled by what they withheld on the Day of Resurrection. And to Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth. And Allah, with what you do, is [fully] Acquainted.” (3:180)

Therefore Allah has commanded that a share of wealth be distributed annually amongst the groups of individuals who are entitled to receive it. We give a portion of our wealth out of duty to our Lord and because we are always working towards loving obedience to Him.

The word “zakat” itself literally means growth, purification and blessing which has many positives outcomes as follow.

Benefits & Virtues:

·      It purifies our wealth and our hearts from greed and misery

·      It shows we acknowledge that wealth belongs to Allah and that other Muslims  have a right upon it

·      It is a good deed that by its obligatory nature draws us closer to Allah

·      It protects the poor and needy from hunger, provides them with the basic necessities and improves their economic circumstances

·      We take an active part in contributing towards society

Who must give Zakat and how much?

To give zakat you need to fulfil the following:

·      Be a mature and sane Muslim

·      Be a free Muslim, not a slave

·      Own wealth which is equal to or more than the nisab (minimum amount of wealth) and it should be in your possession for one year

Zakat is payable on certain items of wealth and must be in your full possession. The rate that is paid is 2.5% equal to or above the threshold (nisab).

Nisab:

This is the monetary value of 87.5g gold or 625g of pure silver and is the threshold for paying zakat.

The majority opinion of Islamic scholars is that one should pay zakat according to the rate of silver, which is the lower rate as this would increase the number of those who can pay it. However, some scholars prefer the view that one should pay zakat according to the rate of gold. It is highly recommended that you speak with a trusted scholar who can give you further advice in case of uncertainty.

Zakat on agricultural land, livestock or any produce from a mine: The nisab for this is different and should be worked out with a scholar.

(The next main section tells you which types of wealth that zakat must be paid on).

The current nisab:

Gold: £2691.23

Silver: £238.21

(updated 16 June 2018)

Your zakat begins on the date that your wealth was first equal to the nisab and you should calculate it every year on that date.

Zakat is not paid on fluctuating amounts during the year but is paid upon having at least the threshold amount on the date zakat is due.

What kind of wealth is Zakat payable on?

Generally, it is acquired material assets that zakat is payable on and not services.

However, the Prophet (pbuh) did not oblige zakat on assets which are for personal use. Therefore, a person’s home, car or personal property such as clothes and shoes are not subject to zakat.

According to the majority of jurists, modern day forms of cash follow the same legal rulings as gold and silver so therefore cash is subject to zakat.

So what exactly is subject to zakat?

Assets:

·      Crops and fruits; especially basic foods such as wheat, barley, dates, and raisins.

·      Treasures hidden underground by people and minerals stored inside the surface of the earth.

·      Livestock such as camels, cows, and sheep

·      Gold or silver; whether as coins or in the form of cash, business assets or savings.

Other types of wealth:

•                      Cash held at home or in bank accounts

•                      Stocks and shares owned directly or through investment funds

•                      Money lent to others

•                      Business stock in trade and merchandise

•                      Agricultural produce

•                      Livestock animals such as cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep and camels

•                      Produce of mines

•                      Pensions

•                      Property owned for investment purposes

Who receives Zakat?

Allah explains to us in the Quran (9:60) that there are eight categories of people to whom zakat can be given:

1.       The poor

2.       The needy

3.       Those employed to collect zakat

4.       New Muslims who face financial hardship after accepting Islam

5.       To free slaves

6.       Those who are in debt but unable to settle it by themselves

7.       Those struggling in the path of Allah

8.       The wayfarer (traveller) who has run out of money and would have no way of reaching his/her destination without financial help

Zakat cannot be used for:

•                      Building mosques

•                      Burying the deceased or to clear the debt of the deceased.