Our Mission
"And they have been commanded no more than to worship Allah, offering Him sincere devotion, being true (in faith); to establish regular Prayer and to practice regular charity. That is the religion pure and straight." [Quran, 98:5]
The social welfare aspect of Islam teaches Muslims their responsibility towards maintaining the well-being of their fellow brother or sister in Islam. Islam has established the constitution of Zakat (alms) to safeguard the rights, interests and needs of the poor, the weak and the constrained. Zakat is the giving of a small percentage of one’s surplus wealth, and is payable annually.
Until now, most Muslims living in this country have sent their Zakat money to be distributed to good causes overseas. However, by consensus of the scholars of Islam, Zakat should be paid locally, based on the hadith when the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) sent Mua'dh Ibn Jabal radiallahu anhu to Yemen, he told him: "And if they obey you in that (i.e obligation of prayer), then inform them that Allah has ordained that they pay Zakat that is to be taken from their rich and given to their poor." [Reported by Muslim]
There is an alarming number of Muslims who are unable to manage financially due to lack of support from the government or the Muslim community. Additionally, an increasingly high number of Muslims are living below the poverty line in this country, such as single parents, abandoned children, senior citizens and Muslim refugees who are in a state of ‘limbo’, as they have no right to work in this country, yet cannot claim any support from the government. These people survive on handouts, and unfortunately the Muslim community have failed to respond to these crises so far.
With this in mind, the National Zakat Foundation (NZF) has been established to utilise the rich and diverse resources within the Muslim community to respond to some of the major socio-economic issues. Focussed on achieving self-sufficiency with a goal of empowering the poor, this fund is seeking to work with the Muslim community to reach out to the under privileged and liberate them from poverty, fear and the feeling of isolation and empower them with safety, security, food, shelter and essential knowledge and skills so that they may in turn help others in the future.
Just imagine, if NZF established at the time when the Bosnian Muslims were fleeing their war-torn homeland, would they have ended up in Churches that opened their doors to them and gave them sanctuary?
The NZF seeks to redistribute wealth primarily in this country, with a view to reaching out to Muslims who are genuinely struggling to survive. The NZF will build a model in this country which will empower Muslims at the lowest end of the social spectrum, with the aim of improving their economic situation, stabilising their lives and becoming self-sufficient such that they themselves can contribute to the Zakat Fund.
Copyright © 2012 National Zakat Foundation (only launched in the UK)
