MUSCAT: Eid Al Fitr marks the end of fasting and the Eid feast is an obligation on every Muslim, whether male or a female.
"Zakat Al Abadan is the purification of bodies," explains Hatim Abdulsalam, an established life coach and host of several talk shows on Islam on Radio Oman.
“We have fasted the 30 days of Ramadhan and it is time to purify our bodies by contributing to the poor. Allah has decreed to us that Zakat be given out as food and not as money because Eid is a day of eating and drinking and a day of remembering Allah. So no one should feel hungry or starve on this day,” says Hatim.
It is forbidden for Muslims to fast on the day of Eid.
Everybody should enjoy the feast because they have worked hard for 30 days of fasting and this is the time to celebrate.
The day of Eid also portrays the solidarity of the Muslim community.
“In Islam, rituals are collective, meaning it is done in groups and not as individuals. So the rituals have to be done together. There is no particular group that is well off and enjoy the feast that is a ritual, while others are starving,” he said.
All of us have to enjoy the feast, Hatim pointed out, explaining that is why during the last 10 days of Ramadhan, people spend an amount of almost RO 1.500 for each individual to buy the food for the poor and the needy.
In terms of the type of food, he said, “It is usually, rice, grains and wheat depending on where you are. For example, in the Middle East people are into rice and in other places, they are more into wheat and in other countries they consume corn. According to where you are, a certain amount of these food items are to be given to the needy.”
Hatim said that in most of the countries there are Zakat communities, government bodies, that are prevalent to assist in the distribution of the food.
Sometimes the contributors are not able to find where the poor people are and this is where the Zakat committees can assist.
“Once the committee receives money from the individuals, it will purchase the commodities and distribute it as per their list of poor and needy on your behalf,” he noted.
Who should pay Zakat?
Every family member should be taken into consideration while paying Zakat as RO 1.500, replied Hatim.
“The head of the family contributes to the Zakat for the whole family, but if the wife is working then she should also fulfil her obligation,” he noted.
There is a deadline to fulfil this obligation and that is before the the Eid prayer, held in the morning.
This year the Zakat committees of all the wilayats from the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs have been active throughout Ramadhan. The Zakat committee from Seeb published a book on the importance of Zakat and was available during the Muscat International Book Fair.
They mentioned a verse from the Holy Quran, ‘Establish prayer, pay Zakat (Sadaqa Tax), and bow down with those who bow down.’
The book state that it is the solid pillar by which the building blocks of the Muslim community are united and the bonds of human relations are strengthened.
“Zakat is a link that connects Muslims and makes them feel about the brothers and their inter-dependents by standing next to the other, tightening the hands in times of distress and patting the shoulder, comforting and relieving them of distress and need, making them feel that Islam has given great care to all segments of society and made them like one body.”
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