"Islamic Affairs and Endowments" divorce"National Zakat Platform"
Abu Dhabi, February 11 / WAM / The General Authority for Islamic Affairs, Endowments and Zakat launched the “National Zakat Platform”, which is the official approved channel for receiving zakat funds in the country from individuals and companies and managing it safely in accordance with Sharia requirements.
The launch was attended by His Excellency Dr. Omar Habtoor Al Darei, Chairman of the General Authority for Islamic Affairs, Endowments and Zakat, His Excellency Shamma bint Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Community Empowerment, His Excellency Dr. Hamdan Muslim Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, His Excellency Ahmed Rashid Al Neyadi, Director General of the General Authority for Islamic Affairs, Endowments and Zakat, His Excellency Dr. Issa Saif bin Hanzal, Chairman of the Islamic Affairs Department in Sharjah, and a number of Their Excellencies and representatives of charities and partners, Authority officials.
His Excellency Al-Darai said in statements to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that zakat affairs are a trust and a great responsibility towards the nation and society, and to the beneficiaries and the deserving alike. The rule is, “If a liability is established with certainty, it cannot be released except with certainty.” There is no certainty today except through institutionalization, governance, transparency, data and statistics, in light of the supremacy of legislation and laws, and that the purpose today of launching this platform is not merely collecting zakat funds, or encouraging people to pay it only, but rather the whole matter is in obtaining the numbers accurately, tightening the logic of the data, controlling the zakat statistics, knowing the destination of this money, directing it to those who deserve it, and having absolute certainty that this money will not fall into the hands of extremists or terrorists, lest their ideas feed on it. Destructive, stressing that unless we carefully monitor zakat resources and disbursements, we will remain on a path shrouded in ambiguity.
Al-Darai stressed that this platform – as it is said – is the first rain, and the first step in a sustainable journey of comprehensive digital transformation. The doors are still open, and it is the duty of the time to adapt technology to facilitate this obligation and simplify its steps, so that the performance of the ritual is companionable to the one who is purifying, precise in implementation, keeping pace with the nation’s renaissance, and achieving acquittal with the highest international quality standards.
His Excellency pointed out that the partnership factor and the cooperation of partners are the cornerstone of unifying efforts, integrating visions, and making this platform a success. The General Authority for Islamic Affairs, Endowments and Zakat – represented by the Zakat Fund – extends its sincere thanks and great gratitude to the Ministry of Community Development in appreciation of its pioneering role in supervising the organization of good deeds (charitable societies), whose efforts we appreciate and whose cooperation we value. We are also proud of what the Emirates Council for Sharia Fatwa provides; Sober jurisprudence and solid legal opinions have contributed to the flexibility and facilitation of performing this obligation.
In his intervention, His Excellency Ahmed Al Neyadi provided a comprehensive explanation of the law establishing the National Zakat Platform and its objectives, explaining that managing Zakat affairs professionally represents a major national development opportunity, capable of bringing about a real transformation in the lives of thousands of families, enhancing social stability, and achieving quality of life.
His Excellency stressed that the National Zakat Platform is a comprehensive national umbrella that unites the efforts of all licensed institutions and charitable societies to collect and disburse Zakat, supports them, organizes their work, and gives them a unified national framework that enhances their efficiency, multiplies their impact, and ensures that Zakat reaches its legitimate beneficiaries fairly and accurately.
The launch program included a number of segments, including a video presentation in which the National Zakat Platform system was explained, another from the Emirates Council for Sharia Fatwa on “solid scientific methodologies for governing fatwa and enabling charitable work,” then a segment honoring partners and giving them certificates of thanks and appreciation.
The General Authority for Islamic Affairs, Endowments and Zakat called on all entities that collect or distribute zakat to adjust their situation and register on the national zakat platform within the specified period that is determined through its communication platforms, in compliance with the provisions of the federal law in this regard, stressing that it will work side by side with partners and licensed entities through a package of meetings and workshops to review the provisions of the law, and will follow up on the application standards while examining opportunities for improvement in the future through continuous updating and ensuring that its quality is permanently enhanced, warning that collecting Or distributing zakat without a license is a violation punishable by federal law to protect donors and beneficiaries and to ensure the integrity of the zakat system in the country.
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