Be it Zakah (compulsory donation of a per cent of your wealth annually), Sadaqah (voluntary donation) or Zakat Al Fitr (donation of edible grains just before Eid to ensure none is starving), donate them through proper channels and avoid extending monetary support to unknown groups or individuals who pose themselves to be in need.
This will help make sure that only the needy persons are getting the well-deserved support and also avoid the accumulation of wealth in the wrong hands, or misutilised unscrupulously, a representative from the Oman Charitable Organisation (OCO), the only approved organisation to receive charity and funds for social wellbeing, said.
"Any public solicitation for charity or Zakah is prohibited and donations to various causes can only be made through Oman Charitable Organisation. One has all options to extend his or her charity funds to the needy online," he added.
One can donate through a number of charity initiatives by logging on to www.oco.org.om.
"It is easy to pick the cause and donate the required support with a couple of clicks. By doing this, we can be pretty sure that someone somewhere in need of food, medicine, clothes and shelter is supported," he adds.
After Zakah and Sadaqah, the next main charity is Zakat Al Fitr during the holy month, which will begin as soon as the moon is sighted in the sky ending the month-long fasting.
Zakat is something, which is ordained by the religion to proportionate a certain percentage of the wealth to be given to the destitute to ensure the circulation of wealth within the society.
Zakath Al Fitr is the way each member of the society is required to make a proper calculation on how much charity is due from himself and his family members, go into the community, and distribute among those who deserve to be helped to welcome the Eid day with a smiling face.
Both citizens and residents or people from anywhere in the world can make use of the lively portal of the OCO which drives the national Zakat Al Fitr to drive and donate and take part in the poverty-alleviating task extended across the world.
According to the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs (MoARA), the Zakat Al Fitr payable to each member of the family is RO 1.200, or RO 1.300, when it is measured in local currency value.
"Zakat Al Fitr is nothing but supplying essentials, including rice and other items (depending upon the geographical and cultural differences) necessary to a needy family to have their meals and this has a greater role to play in our lives", says Hatim Abdussalam, a religious scholar.
Sadaqat Al Fitr is calculated on all members, men or women, minor or adult, including even the baby inside the mother's womb, and distributed among the needy, this kind of charity plays a very important role in the development of the bonds of community, according to scholars.
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