Zakat is one of the five fundamental pillars of Islam. It is also considered as the most vital tool to reduce poverty in a society where Muslims are the majority of the population. The code of Zakat is simple and clear. Every Muslim having a minimum asset at his or her disposal has to pay 2.5 per cent of the movable asset as Zakat to needy and poor once a year.
In Bangladesh, the focus on Zakat gets prominence during the month of Ramadan. Though it is believed that paying the Zakat in this holy month brings more blessings on a Muslim, there is no binding rule in Islam to pay Zakat in this month only. It is up to the payers of Zakat when and how he or she will fulfil his or her annual religious obligation. It is, however, argued by many that distributing Zakat in this month helps many needy and poor people to make their living easier and they can even enjoy the Eid-ul-Fitr in a better manner.
The core value behind Zakat is to ensure better and balanced distribution of resources in a society so that the needy and marginalised people can gradually get rid of their poor situation. It is not a regular charity but a system to uplift poor people by providing them support or sources of better income. Thus the practice of distributing clothes and cashes as Zakat to needy people by a section of wealthy Muslims during Ramadan defy the basic principle of Zakat. In Bangladesh, this kind of charitable activity even sometime causes loss of lives due to bad management.
Instead, it is preferable to pay due Zakat in such way that at least a few poor people could get better-off and come out from the need to receive Zakat in the future. There is a clear method to calculate Zakat and also clear Islamic guidelines on who are eligible to receive Zakat. Any deviation from these method and guideline will apparently make Zakat non-complaint with its spirit.
As the economy of the country is growing, more people are well-off and so the number of eligible Zakat payers are also on the rise. At the same time, uneven growth distribution widens the income disparity in the country. The final report of Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES-2016) disclosed that the country's Gini coefficient stood at 0.482 in 2016, up from 0.458 in 2010. It measures equality on a scale of zero to one. The closer the value of coefficient to one, the higher the inequality in the country.
Collecting and distributing Zakat effectively may play a critical role in reducing inequality. To do this, efficient management of Zakat is a must. Currently, a government and a number of private Zakat management entities are functional in the country. Nevertheless, a large number of Zakat payers rely on their personal distribution mechanism and in some cases this goes wrong.
Awareness building among the eligible Zakat payers on paying it effectively may correct distorted practices. The first thing is calculating the Zakat right. A number of software and online calculation tools are available now and people can easily calculate their due Zakats. Once the calculation is done, then comes distribution. A portion of Zakat may be paid through the organisations managing Zakat and the rest may be managed individually by the Zakat payers.
