Doha, Qatar: The Zakat Affairs Department at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has reaffirmed its commitment to implementing a professional and integrated system for the collection and distribution of Zakat funds, ensuring that contributions reach eligible beneficiaries in accordance with Islamic principles while promoting transparency, efficiency, and social solidarity.
The institutional management of Zakat collection and distribution represents a key pillar in ensuring that Zakat funds reach their rightful beneficiaries in line with approved Islamic regulations. The Zakat Affairs Department operates through a comprehensive framework that combines strict adherence to Sharia principles with administrative efficiency and transparency in managing Zakat funds.
Yousef Hassan Al-Hammadi, Assistant Director of the Zakat Affairs Department for Public Services at the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, emphasised that Zakat is a great religious obligation and an integrated financial and social system established by Islam to promote solidarity among members of society. He noted that organised institutional management enhances the developmental and humanitarian impact of Zakat while ensuring it is directed to eligible groups according to its legitimate channels.
Al-Hammadi explained that the department, drawing on its accumulated expertise, receives Zakat contributions from donors and distributes them through precise mechanisms based on social research and field studies of beneficiary cases. This approach ensures that Zakat reaches genuine recipients and provides reassurance to donors that their obligations have been fulfilled properly before God, reflecting the department’s slogan: “Because your Zakat is a trust.”
He highlighted that the difference between institutional and individual efforts in the field of Zakat is evident in terms of organiation and the ability to reach the most vulnerable groups. While individual charity efforts often stem from sincere intentions, they may sometimes lack the tools for verification and adequate assessment, which could result in funds not reaching the most deserving recipients or being repeatedly distributed to the same cases.
Al-Hammadi noted that institutional work relies on an updated database of eligible cases and specialised social research teams, ensuring fairness in the distribution of Zakat funds and enabling support to reach the most needy beneficiaries in accordance with Sharia guidelines.
He also pointed out that the Zakat Affairs Department has developed its services in line with Qatar’s digital transformation, providing multiple convenient channels for paying Zakat, including through its official website, mobile application, and collection points located across the country, making it easier for donors to fulfill their obligations.
In addition to collecting and distributing Zakat, the department works to enhance community awareness of Zakat rulings and its importance in strengthening social solidarity through awareness programmes and media initiatives that promote a culture of organised and responsible giving.
