Don't forget your Zakat Fitrah payment

WITH the coming of Syawal just around the corner, long queues of people paying the zakat can be seen at mosques throughout the Sultanate.

The Pelita Brunei edition of August 28 published a list of Amils who will be managing zakat payments for the year 1431-1432 Hijrah (2010-2011).

A total number of 291 Amils for the designated 136 areas of the four districts (Brunei-Muara, Tutong, Belait, and Temburong) have been appointed by the Islamic Affairs Office. The places of zakat payment have also been determined at some mosques and Amils' residences such as at Masjid Omar 'Ali Saifuddien, Masjid Jame' 'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah, Masjid Al-Muhtadee Billah Kg Sungai Kebun, among others.

The Pelita Brunei also carries the payment rate of the Zakat Fitrah which remains unchanged: Zakat Fitrah payment with Fragrant Rice is $2.84 per person, while with Siamese Rice is $1.93 per person. Zakat recipients in Brunei are estimated to be around 4,000 individuals.

The literal meaning of Zakat is "grow (in goodness)" or "increase", "purifying" or "making pure". So the act of giving zakat means purifying one's wealth to gain Allah's blessing to make it grow in goodness. Terminologically, it is part of the property which is obligatory to be paid if it has fulfilled certain requirements (nisab and haul) and to be distributed to designated groups of people (asnaf).

The Holy Quran (Surah Al-Tauba: 60) classifies the due recipients of zakat under the following eight categories: "Zakat is for the poor, and the needy and those who are employed to administer and collect it, and the new converts, and for those who are in bondage, and in debt and service of the cause of Allah, and for the wayfarers, a duty ordained by Allah, and Allah is the All-Knowing, the Wise".

According to the Mahzab Syafii, Zakat Fitrah is to be paid in the form of staple food consumed by people in a particular country. In this case, rice is the staple food consumed by people in the Sultanate. There are two types of rice which are usually consumed by Bruneians, namely Fragrant Rice and Siamese Rice. The price of both of rice had been determined by the government. For the current Hijrah year, Zakat Fitrah for each Muslim in the country is two kilo and 268 grammes.

Based on information of current market price of gold received from the Islamic Bank of Brunei Darussalam (BIDB), the Brunei Islamic Religious Council last year decided that the nisab of zakat for property (money in deposit) is $4,207.50. This is based on 85 grammes of 21 carat gold that costs $49.50 per gramme (85 grammes of gold x $49.50 = $4,207.50).

The total collection of Zakat Mal in 2005 was $18.9 million; $8.8 million in 2006; $10 million in 2007, and $11.68 million in 2008.

The Brunei Times