During Ramadaan this year I participated in a fundraising challenge to help feed families struck by famine and homelessness in some of the poorest parts of the world. it brought home to me the limitations of those families who struggle on a daily basis to feed their families with very little. It also made me incredibly grateful for my blessings and for the ability to be able to do something to help.

As Muslims we have an obligation to support our immediate community in the form of Zakah and the greater community in the form of Sadaqah.

Zakah is one of the five fundamental institutions of Islam. It is second only to prayer as an essential article of the faith. Zakah must be given once every year by those who are able and can only be given to Muslims. When you give Zakah, give it from your heart, showing thankfulness to the Almighty Allah. For charity doesn’t diminish wealth, in fact it purifies it. More details about Zakah can be found here.

Sadaqah knows no distinction of status, race or even creed. It begins with one’s family, and then extends to the poor, the traveller and even the enemy. Allah Almighty declares:” They feed (others) for the love of Him: destitute, orphan and captive.” (Q76:8)

I have disposed of my Zakah annually in various ways in the past, and SANZAF, South African National Zakah Fund, is an organisation that I use most often. They do all the work of vetting the organisations and the recipients. And for me, the ease of doing it via their online portal makes life very convenient.

A little more about SANZAF:

• SANZAF assists thousands of people on a daily basis with key things, food aid being one of them. They provide approximately 2000 families with food hampers on a monthly basis. This has increased from 1200 since the start of the Covid pandemic.
• As the need for assistance increases in the non-muslim community SANZAF has been able to assist 1000 families.
• The hot meal distribution through 25 feeding schemes where they provide meals twice per day has increased to feeding thrice per day, providing 150 000 meals per month from 50 000 before the pandemic.

Paying Zakah annually can seem daunting. Or if you’re like me, www.lastminute.com, then time tends to get away from you and you forget to do things timeously. SANZAF has made it easy for those who would prefer to pay their Zakah on a monthly basis. Introducing their Debit Order facility. It’s not a new option but I bet many people don’t know about it. It’s an easy and convenient way to make sure your obligations are met without you even having to think about it.

How to sign up a monthly SANZAF Debit Order for Zakah or Sadaqah:

• Download and digitally complete the 1-page form which you can find here.
• Choose a suitable date when you would like the deduction to take place.
• Send the completed form to special.projects@sanzaf.org.za

NB: All qualifying donations to SANZAF are TAX deductible and certificates are issued on request.

The Prophet Muhammed SAW said, “The charity you give will be your shade on the day of judgement.” With these few steps, it’s so easy to create peace of mind for ourselves and provide support and relief for those who need it most.