“This is the situation in our country: people want to show off. They can buy cheap products to give to more people,” a seller says
Published : 06 Apr 2024, 03:02 AM
A signboard of Dewan Saree Bitan at Peer Yemeni Market in Dhaka’s Gulistan reads, “Zakat’s sarees are available here at affordable prices.” The salesman said they put it up to remind able Muslims of their obligation.
But the Islamic Foundation says that donating sarees and lungis for zakat is not a good practice.
Zakat’s main goal should be to help insolvent people become financially independent, the foundation says.
As one of the five pillars of Islam, zakat is a mandatory charitable contribution for all Muslims who meet the necessary criteria of wealth to help the needy.
Nisab is a term that often appears alongside zakat. It is a threshold, referring to the minimum amount of wealth and possessions that a Muslim must own before being obligated to pay zakat.
In other words, if personal wealth is below this minimum during one lunar year, no zakat is owed for that period. The nisab is set at the value of 87.48 grams of gold or 612.36 grams of silver.
Muslims must meet this threshold before they can qualify for zakat. The amount is 2.5 percent or 1/40 of an individual's total savings and wealth.
Verse 60 of Surah At-Tawbah in the Quran states: “Alms-tax is only for the poor and the needy, for those employed to administer it, for those whose hearts are attracted ˹to the faith˺, for ˹freeing˺ slaves, for those in debt, for Allah’s cause, and for ˹needy˺ travellers. ˹This is˺ an obligation from Allah. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
In Bangladesh, the practice of giving sarees and lungis as alms for Zakat is very common.
The rich and influential even make announcements inviting the poor to give sarees and lungis by the end of Ramadan. The poor then wait in queues for the alms on the announced date.
Deadly stampedes during disorderly distribution of alms is not rare in the country.
But the quality of these sarees and lungis is questionable.
At Peer Yemeni Market’s Dewan Saree Bitan, the thick cotton sarees for zakat are priced at Tk 410 and can be used “for a year”. “These sarees sell the most during Eid,” said a salesman.
Mahbub Lungi Store in the market is also selling substandard lungis for zakat at Tk 220.
A salesman said the owner put up the zakat tag on these lungis because they are very cheap and mostly sold as alms during Eid.
“What can a lungi at Tk 220 offer? The textile is thick and not comfortable. These don’t last long either. But we bring these because of the high demand,” he said.
At Mohammadia Market in Mirpur 11, the neglect for sarees and lungis being sold as zakat alms was evident. The products are kept in a corner or outside.
The prices of the zakat products in high demand vary between Tk 350 and Tk 400.
Arif Hossain of A Hossain Saree Centre said: “It’s natural that the lower the price, the inferior the quality. People don’t want to buy expensive products for the poor.”
“This is the situation in our country: people want to show off. They can buy cheap products to give to more people,” remarked Md Riaz, the proprietor of Sharmin Saree Kutir at Muktijoddha Market in Mirpur-1.
The attempts to show off are already visible on social media posts boasting the ability to give zakat alms.
“Alahamdulillah! Went to Baburhat market for zakat clothes. By the grace of Allah, returned safely with the clothes,” a man named Md Mukbul on Facebook.
Masud Rana, a salesman at Amena Print Saree in the renowned Baburhat wholesale market of Narsingdi, said they were selling zakat sarees at Tk 310.
“These sarees are made for this season. Actually, 99 percent of people give zakat alms to show off,” he said.
“Many even buy Tk 250 sarees. These are all to show off.”
These sarees can be used for up to six months, according to Rana.
“But if someone has the ability, they try to buy the good products.”
Zahanara Begum, a domestic worker residing in Mirpur 12, said she gets a zakat saree every year when she returns home to Mymensingh during Eid.
“A man gives the sarees after making announcements through loudspeakers. People queue for the clothes. At least I get a new clothing. It lasts some days. I would have been able to wear it for some more days if the quality was better.”
Takdir Hossain, a resident of Brahmanbaria’s Nabinagar, distributes sarees and lungis as zakat alms every Eid.
“Many expect me to get something for them on Eid. They spend it on other purposes if I give them money. They don’t even get a new dress. So I buy them new dresses along with sugar and vermicelli,” he explained.
But Professor Mohammad Abdur Rashid of Islamic studies at Dhaka University said distributing zakat alms in this way is not correct.
“The money should be given in such a way that the poor do not need help anymore. If an eligible Muslim can free five others from destitution, poverty will go away,” he said.
“And people even die during distribution, or face disrespect and insult. A person can take zakat on Allah’s orders, but it’s not right to belittle them.”
Harunur Rashid, director of Islamic Foundation’s Zakat Fund Department, said giving sarees or lungis is not consistent with Islam.
“People do it for popularity, but zakat’s main teaching is to make the others free from poverty. Zakat should be given in such a way that the recipient won’t need it the next year,” he explained.
He suggested buying the poor means of income, such as a rickshaw or a sewing machine, instead of sarees and lungis.