Zakat House is set to look into the reason behind declining Zakat-al-Mal contributions next year, Director General of Zakat, Izzaddeen Adnan has said.
Maldives has seen record amounts of Zakat collection last year, having grown from USD 906,300 in the past to nearly USD 6.5 million today.
Speaking to PSM News, Izzaddeen said despite the annual increase in Zakat al-Fitr contributions, Zakat-al-Mal is on a downward trajectory.
Zakat al-Mal is a part of the wealth and property that Muslims must pay annually, to help the poor of their community. Zakat is levied on specific assets only, identified by Islamic Law as assets having the potential for growth. Any person who meets the minimum amount of wealth (Nisab) must pay their share of Zakat al-Mal. The current Nisab for Zakat al-Mal is USD 607, as set by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs.
Izzaddeen pointed out that no research had been done to determine the reasons behind the slump in Zakat al-Mal contributions.
However, he did mention lack of awareness of the importance of Zakat al-Mal among the public as one reason for the continued decline.
"We are not all wealthy. Everyone is not wealthy enough to help others. But we need to understand that there are people in need. So they should be given their rightful dues in Islam, Allah is the owner of all wealth. So maybe not enough people are aware of how important this is in Islam is the primary reason,” he explained.
Izzaddeen also said some people believe that paying Zakat al-Mal will reduce their wealth, but referred to studies done in other Muslim countries which have proved that the wealth of those who pay Zakat al-Mal is being blessed and increasing.
In that regard, Izzaddeen said more awareness programmes will be conducted by the Zakat House in a bid to arrest the decline.
In addition, Izzaddeen noted that the Zakat Fund provides assistance to the people in need, adding that more Zakat al-Mal contributions will boost the Zakat fund which in turn would enable it to offer more assistance to the needy.