Payment of zakat made easy

Jeddah, Jul 27: Various charitable organizations have made zakat high-tech by deploying their booths across the city and collecting funds from donors through magnetic cards.

All debit and credit card transactions are linked to these organizations’ accounts and the person fulfilling zakat receives a receipt for his payment.

Intended to take deposits for charity, this new mode allows people to save time and avoid hassles. All the booths present at mosques, malls and shopping areas have agents drawing people’s attention to it.

Maufiq Mutallaq Al-Maramhi, marketing representative of Al-Birr Charitable Society, said that this move aims to enhance awareness of zakat by reaching the maximum number of people and deliver best methods to enhance the fulfillment of this duty.

“It’s a first step that we have taken to ease the process of people paying their zakat while they are shopping with the use of their ATM cards or any other magnetic cards instead of cash. From the beginning of Ramadan, this new door that Al-Birr has opened is bound to reap benefits for people in need in Khalees Governorate as well as in the Kingdom,” he said.

He added that zakat received from people during Ramadan, especially assisted the orphan sponsorship and the iftar project. “We saw daily 15 to 20 people interested to pay zakat and help these programs,” he said.

Similarly, several other organizations adopted the same method to collect donations from people by installing their booths in public areas and successfully enhanced awareness of zakat by attracting a number of people.

“This is the first time I’ve noticed a new technique of paying zakat in the city. I am glad to pay zakat to the poor in the Kingdom with the help of these associations. I believe this system of paying through ATM cards will definitely help those who want to pay their zakat in the Kingdom. Also, it is definitely going to be easy to use, especially for those who want to pay a specific amount,” Mohammad Sohail, a Saudi resident, said.

Majed Abdullah, an Egyptian resident, said: “I tend to give zakat to the poor when I visit Egypt during Ramadan or Eid. This time I contributed my zakat through Al-Birr Society. I felt it was more convenient and the projects it supported were attractive.”

A Jordanian resident, Fatimah, said: “The high-tech process to collect funds is an innovative method and caters to the needs of society. Several women crowded the booth outside the mosque’s female section and paid their zakat. This system helped everyone to pay their zakat the easier way.”