1,335 people have already paid zakat, charity to the poor as mandated in Islam, which will be distributed to the poor by the Islamic Ministry at the end of the ongoing month of Ramadan.
Ministry officials have been collecting sums as zakat at the Islamic Centre’s main hall in capital city Malé. They will continue to do so on every working day between the hours of 10:.30 to 13:00.
The Islamic Ministry will stop accepting zakat at 14:00 on the 29th day of Ramadan.
The Housing Development Corporation will collect zakat for those residing in Hulhumalé, the capital city’s fast-growing urban extension, while the relevant city and island councils will collect zakat in their constituencies.
The levy for zakat is set at 2.4kgs of rice. This is MVR 16 per head if it is regular rice, MVR 55 for Thai rice, and MVR 80 for Basmati rice. Those residing in the outer lying atolls may pay zakat according to the prices available to them, given that they give away not less than the required 2.4 kg.
Telecommunication providers Dhiraagu and Ooredoo have set up means to distribute zakat as well, in addition to Allied Insurance and the Bank of Maldives.
The Islamic Minsitry had collected over MVR 2 million in zakat last year. This sum was distributed to those that were listed as heavily low income families or individuals.
