CHITRAL: Asking for Zakat or a donation for some benevolent activity was not so common a few years back, and could be compared to a sweet dish after a meal, but of late it appears to have become a main dish in the meal. Zakat demanders of all kinds have sprung up, using the social media, personal contact or any source available to them. Some asking to contribute to Madrassas, others to fund Ramzan meals for poor, other than the habitual personal Zakat seekers.
Unfortunately most needy do not have the guts or are shy being white collared, or for any other reason do not approach for Zakat, while the bold and outreaching approach aggressively and claw the Zakat money.
Zakat is not only a good tradition but a religious obligation for Muslims. However, as per Islamic principles, dependence on Zakat should be minimised by helping the needy people stand on their own feet throughout the year instead of them waiting for the month of Ramzan for ‘Free Lunch”. As The saying goes “if you are born poor, it is not your fault, but if you die poor, it is you to blame”. We should not have a sympathetic attitude towards poverty but instead hate it and try to help the poor beat poverty instead of nurturing it. .. CN report, 04 Apr 2021
One thought on “Asking for Zakat/donations surges in past few years”
The easiest thing is to beg, and begging has many forms as described in the article. The difficult but more elegant way is to reject free lunch and work hard and honestly for a living. Chitralis should switch from the first mode which they are used to, to the latter.