SERVE THE NEAR
BEFORE THE FAR
Strangers abandoned…on your doorstep
Stories untold…on your doorstep
Opportunities unfold…on your doorstep
Can you really afford to miss what lies on your doorstep?
Zakah – the third pillar of Islam, preceding even the fast of Ramadhan – 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.
As the only charity of its kind, the families HHUGS assist face realities many consider unimaginable in the UK. Women and children not only have grappled for years with the emotional trauma, isolation and social distancing caused by having a loved one in prison, but the harsh reality of losing their sole breadwinner brings with it unbearable financial pressure.
Thanks to your generous support, HHUGS have distributed over £2.4m zakah in the last 5 years to local beneficiaries – over £608.7k in the past year alone.
With almost half of the Muslim population in the UK entrapped in a cycle of poverty, and soaring food and energy prices, families are under severe pressure. Struggling to feed their children and pay their rent, they buckle under the weight of anxiety as they spiral deeper into debt.
Your Zakah will find few avenues as unique and urgently needed as for these families on our doorstep. Your Zakah will bring direct and lasting relief for those who are close to home, yet too often overlooked.
“HHUGS picked me up at a time when I really thought I would end up sitting outside a branch of Tesco begging. I feared I would wind up homeless. Their support means I can keep a roof over my head, pay my bills and cover my groceries with monthly shopping vouchers.”
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.” [Bukhari]
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 are strangled by debt and children suffer in silence as they go without. With benefits curtailed, bank accounts closed, and jobs scarce for those tainted by the terrorism tag, this is the reality for 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 zakah 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:
- Al-Fuqaraa’: The Poor
- Al-Masakeen: The Needy
- Al-Gharimeen: Those in Debt
With our 100% zakah policy, rest assured that none of your donation will be used towards administrative or income generation costs.
Your donations will provide:
Shelter
In the form of rent payments
or emergency accommodation
£81,303 distributed in 2020
Utilities
Essentials utilities of electricity,
gas and water
£24,140 distributed in 2020
Empowerment
Increasing employability and enabling fuqara’ to sustain themselves independently long term.
Food
Food vouchers and basic necessities
to allow families to survive
£108,838 distributed in 2020
Debt Relief
Clearing debts
£11,286 distributed in 2020
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:
- Al-Fuqaraa’: The Poor
- Al-Masakeen: The Needy
- Al-Gharimeen: Those in Debt
Your donations will provide:
Shelter
In the form of rent payments
or emergency accommodation
£81,303 distributed in 2020
Utilities
Essentials utilities of electricity,
gas and water
£24,140 distributed in 2020
Food
Food vouchers and basic necessities
to allow families to survive
£108,838 distributed in 2020
Debt Relief
Clearing debts
£11,286 distributed in 2020
Empowerment
Increasing employability and enabling fuqara’ to sustain themselves independently long term.
Rest assured, none of your zakah donation will be used towards administrative or income generation costs.
Of the 8 categories of people eligible for Zakah, at HHUGS we distribute zakah funds amongst the following three:
- Al-Fuqaraa’: The Poor
- Al-Masakeen: The Needy
- Al-Gharimeen: Those in Debt
Your donations will provide:
Shelter
In the form of rent payments
or emergency accommodation
£81,303 distributed in 2020
Food
Food vouchers and basic necessities
to allow families to survive
£108,838 distributed in 2020
Utilities
Essentials utilities of electricity,
gas and water
£24,140 distributed in 2020
Debt Relief
Clearing debts
£11,286 distributed in 2020
Empowerment
Increasing employability and enabling fuqara’ to sustain themselves independently long term.
Rest assured, none of your zakah donation will be used towards administrative or income generation costs.
Look closer to home – Donate your zakah to HHUGS
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
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 zakah 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
What kind of wealth is Zakat payable on?
Nisab:
The nisab is the minimum amount of wealth a Muslim must possess before they become eligible to pay Zakat. This amount is often referred to as the nisab threshold.
Gold and silver are the two values used to calculate the nisab threshold. The nisab is the value of 87.48 grams of gold or 612.36 grams of silver.
The majority opinion of Islamic scholars is that one should pay zakah 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 zakah 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.
Zakah 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 current nisab:
Gold Nisab is £4592.7 based on the gold price of £52.5 per gram
Silver Nisab is £367.42, based on the silver price of £0.60 per gram
– Last updated 18/03/23
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:
- The poor
- The needy
- Those employed to collect zakat
- New Muslims who face financial hardship after accepting Islam
- To free slaves
- Those who are in debt but unable to settle it by themselves
- Those struggling in the path of Allah
- 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.
Most scholars agree that you can give zakah to a family member if they’re from one of the categories e.g. they are poor and unable to provide for themselves, and are not already dependent on you. But if he/she is one of your dependents, you are obliged to spend on them and cannot give them anything from your Zakah.
How are zakah donations used for empowerment?
At HHUGS we want to ensure that every faqeer is empowered to be self sufficient and financially independent. We endeavour to increase employability and enable beneficiaries to sustain themselves independently for the long term through the provision of educational and vocational training and support.
The Shafi’is and Hanbalis consistently argue that tradesmen be funded from Zakah money to set up businesses, and a labourer should be funded to learn necessary skills and purchase the tools needed to attain sufficiency for life.
The Islamic Fiqh Council in Jeddah states, “If a poor person is a skilled labourer, he is given the (Zakat) funds to purchase tools needed for his job; if a poor person is a good businessman he is given funds to start up a business; if a poor person is a farmer he should be given a farm the produce of which should suffice him for life. In line with this, it is possible to utilise Zakat funds for small projects such as textile factories, sewing and other professional workshops, so long as the ownership is transferred over to the poor.” Qararat wa Tawsiyat Majma’ al-Fiqh al-Islami 1 – 174 (p.316)
I owe several years of zakah, how much do I pay?
For every year that you owe Zakah, take 2.5% from the total wealth you had at the end of that year and pay that in Zakah. If you are not sure how much wealth you had, you must estimate it to the best of your ability. e.g. If in 2020, you have not paid Zakat for the last 7 years, you will need to work out how much wealth you owned every year, for the last 7 years and pay 2.5% of that.
I’m saving money for hajj, do I need to pay zakah on it?
Yes, this must be included in your wealth.