How to Pay Zakat from Russia?
Islam & Charity
The importance of charity is well established in many hadith and Quranic verses. In many ways, the Quran emphasizes the importance of charitable donations. Here we are sharing a few Quranic verses and hadith that will explain the significance of this act and hopefully encourage people to donate!
“Be steadfast in prayer and regular in charity.” (2:110)
Alongside the prayer obligation, Allah has reminded Muslims to give zakat as well. This implies that as Allah is asking his worshipper to establish the act of prayer five times a day, he is also asking them to be regular in charity. A good Muslim should not give zakat only once in his life just for the sake of getting done with the deed, rather, he or she should practice it as much as he or she can and make sure he also encourages those around him.
As narrated by Ibn Masud: I heard Prophet saying,
“There is no envy except in two: a person whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it in the right way, and a person whom Allah has given wisdom (i.e. religious knowledge) and he gives his decisions accordingly and teaches it to the others.” (Sahih Bukhari, Vol 2, Book 24, No. 490)
Giving zakat is one of the things that Allah loves. When someone gives zakat, it brings him closer to Allah spiritually. This hadith motivates Muslims to give as much as they can to seek Allah (SWT)’s benevolence and mercy. In this discussion, apart from highlighting the impact of zakat, we are going to discuss how you can pay zakat if you are a Russian Muslim.
How does Zakat Help Muslims?
But before we talk about the woes of Russian Muslims., let us highlight the impact zakat has on Muslim society. We will not resort to medieval examples to highlight zakat’s importance. Let us recall how chaotic things were during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was panic everywhere, and the threat wasn’t limited to just lives. With economies collapsing worldwide, everyone felt the need for a support system. Muslims were lucky in this regard since they had the support system of zakat. Millions of Muslims joined hands to save millions of their fellow brothers and sisters! And this generous outpouring of empathy was not limited to a particular country. This was a feeling that was shared by Muslims worldwide!
Russia, Muslims, and Zakat
Like many European countries, Islam is a minority religion in Russia. It is believed that Muslims form only seven percent of the total Russian population. This means that the luxury which Muslims of Middle Eastern and Asian countries have is not available to the Muslims of Russia. That luxury is the convenience of paying zakat! While Muslims of some countries like Pakistan have their zakat collected by the government itself, Russian Muslims have to find ways in which they can pay their zakat, on their own. We talk about how Russian Muslims can pay zakat from Russia in the following sections of this discussion.
Options for Paying Zakat in Russia
Once zakat is calculated and the manner in which it will be paid is decided, the next step is about the actual payment of zakat. Here are the options to consider for any Russian Muslim. They can either search for deserving zakat candidates in their locality, towns, or cities. Or, the Russian Muslims can rely on the local charities that are working tirelessly for the welfare of underprivileged Muslims. These charities are operating on a both local and global scale. Finding Islamic relief charities that are working in Russia is quite tough as compared to global trust organizations like Transparent Hands. Some Muslims like to donate to trust organizations that are working for the welfare of Muslims all around the world, around the clock. One such organization that is doing stellar work in Pakistan’s healthcare sector is Transparent Hands.
Transparent Hands
If a busy lifestyle doesn’t allow you to search for eligible zakat candidates, you can donate your zakat to a trust organization that you can trust. If you are interested in funding someone’s healthcare expenses, one organization that you might like to know more about is Transparent Hands, Pakistan’s biggest crowdfunding platform. It offers a complete range of free healthcare services including medical and surgical treatments, medical camps, and telehealth facilities to the underprivileged community of Pakistan. The platform provides visibility to underprivileged patients and builds a personal and trusted bond between patients and donors while ensuring complete transparency. It also sets up free medical camps in the rural areas of Pakistan in which, free medical consultation, free medicines, and free diagnostic tests are provided to deserving patients.
How does Transparent Hands manage your zakat? Donors from all over the world can use the Transparent Hands crowdfunding web portal and donate through 100% secure payment modes. They could select any patient, fund the treatment and receive regular feedback and updates until the patient has recovered completely. So, if you donate your donation to this trustworthy platform, you will be helping someone cover their medical expenses. Think about it, so many people who lost their jobs during the pandemic can’t afford their health expenses right now. Transparent Hands manages your donations to help these distressed souls!
Final Thoughts
That would be all from this discussion. We wish we could have gone on a bit more, a lot more time and space is needed than what we had in order to describe the rules & regulations of zakat, as well as the many blessings and benefits that are annexed with this fundamental Islamic obligation. Unfortunately, we have to wrap up this discussion for now. Nevertheless, we are quite optimistic that you learned something if not everything new about zakat’s importance and impact from this discussion. What is even more important is that now you are well aware of the different ways in which you can pay zakat from Russia. It is on this optimistic note that we bid you farewell from this space as well!
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