Who takes Ramadhan Seriously?

Beggars proliferate in Ramadan showing this month is taken as job opportunity for something that is discouraged or shamed in Islam. And we see it around mosques and don't protest. We can reasonably guess over 90 percent beggars are fake or 'professionals' and we don't care.

Why can't local mosque committees forbid begging in the mosque premises, help very few genuine ones from local resources and declare their areas beggar-free this Ramadhan? Why no sermons on beggar loans or helping genuine ones and acting against 'professional' ones? With zakat ul fitr only we can rehabilitate one genuine beggar per village.

Let all decide to give to one only in a village this year and let you recommend your relatives to such organisations as ZIST for help so that begging is taken care of. Muhammad Yunus helped 18000 beggars rehabilitate and our numerous mosque committees/Imams, generally speaking, are watching them indulge in it and don't care for rehabilitation of even one.

People keep money in banks and don't help struggling relatives or needy. 170000 crores are in fixed deposits in J&K and 120000 crores are locked in gold, but people can't get a membership of zero interest based Credit Cooperative.

Interest is not a problem for them and Zakat is, as Zakat is not made available to poor/needy/ travellers by proper mechanism. More than seven thousand crores of interest is taken annually and thousands of crores are lost due to inflation and not investing by those who fast and pray, in J&K alone.

Daan is enjoined in Vedas. Karan as Daan-veer is known and respected as is Hatim Tai. Where are Hatams of Kashmir who help people around them with soft loans – Qarde Hasan- if not outright grant or zakat?

Can't they understand their complicity in perpetuating begging and keeping recipient of zakat as recipient for life through their ill managed mode of giving for food or medicine but not productive units? Daily needs can be catered from profits of those made givers or muzakki.

Smriti text calls for giving 1/5th of wealth as dhan and distinguishes it from other 1/5th tax dues to State. Islam also enjoins Infaq or Sadaqa apart from Zakat. But many people say here why give Zakat if income tax is given. Many amongst our Aslaf gave even thirty percent of income away and some Sufis whole of their income. We want to avoid even 2.5 percent and fail to make use of investment which is proper way of not become zakatable.

There are thousands of employees who don't calculate zakat on voluntarily subscribed additional amount in GP fund or on investment in land. They also minus long term loans as qard and thus want to escape Zakat. Major Ulema have stated that we can minus only one year instalments and not whole of loan. Not less than 25000 is Zakat due from average businessman or employee, and if only they collected it properly and gave for productive units, not consumption, there would be none left amongst employees who has needy relative or with debt obligations.

How many Imams you know talk regularly about zakat in sermons despite the fact that it is mentioned along with prayer in the Quran and prayers and fasts are all mockery without it? How many muqtadis know basics of zakat and ushr and the fact that it has to be spent to make another a giver in due course?

Perhaps not one in a whole mosque on Friday can claim to have filed zakat returns or given zakat to someone with the intention that he or she becomes a giver. Who amongst us cares to teach, or does infaq of skill, or provide his house or vehicle for some infaq, as we don't know how many cars or rooms are free for anyone to use though thousands have additional rooms and vehicles which gather dust.

Every day scores of patients suffer for want of medicines and who cares?

I don't know anyone who has tracked impact of his zakat for last ten years. Some people do give zakat but to professional beggars or those they are unable to verify as genuine or those who merely consume it and don't use it to grow and become givers in due course.

Who gives zakat to poor farmers to get sheep or cow or poultry birds? Bhavispurana states that when one gives a cow as a charity, it can help him or her gain wealth. Kashmiris gave daughters productive units such as cows as gifts on marriage.

Now we give gold which is locked and earns only "hoarding tax" from God and sometimes used to buy land which is usually dead investment. Can't  we all give zakat in cash equivalent of sheep which gives around ten lambs in seven years or share in cow which gives milk for years?  Why can't we gift to grooms or brides membership of credit cooperative or FPO ( instead of gulemeuth) or help artisans to get interest free finances?

People don't organize family kitty pools to help one another out of debt or create money for investment in local industry. Exceptions only prove the rule. I know some families and staff members of some institutions who do. Rest let needy unattended or give hefty interest to banks but don't create kitty.

How many musafir khanas for travellers are available in Kashmir? Do you know anyone who fulfils rights of relatives or the needy ? Why people need to beg for help, fees, medicine, accommodation or jobs? If we all keep only Rs ten to fifty thousand for qard hasan, needs of the relatives and travellers will be catered to. In Ramadhan let us get membership of credit cooperatives to help struggling indebted relatives and needy. Fasting has no meaning if zakat is not given and if we do not do daily sadaqa.

Prayers and fasts of those who don't file Zakat returns are not accepted. Lean purse is what Ramdhan is about. Don't give to those who see Ramadhan as job opportunity for begging but to those who want to work or get tied up with those who work. If you haven't calculated zakat why fast or pray? Track impact of your zakat in 2024 and I guarantee you have helped someone out of debt.

Post script: As you choose to give zakat, do think you and your trusted organisations have an obligation to find proper recipient, ideally one who can become a giver in a year or two. The farmer or artisan in your neighbourhood can be  one option.