New Zakat system based on 'ground realities' suggested.

Byline: Nasir Iqbal

ISLAMABAD -- Mufti MuhamAmad Taqi Usmani, an Islamic scholar and a former judge of the Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court, has suggested replacing the entire Zakat system, especially after the 18th Amendment, with a new one based on ground realities.

'If the Zakat system has to continue, it must be reviewed thoroughly and replaced with a fresh system based on realities on the ground, lest the Zakat, a sacred form of worship, should fall prey to corruption and to say the least of mismanagement,' suggested Mufti Usmani in his opinion he rendered to the Supreme Court.

While hearing a suo motu case on government measures in preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Supreme Court on April 20 asked for the opinions of Mufti Usmani as well as the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on the question that whether the contributions of the Zakat funds and Baitul Maal be utilised for the salaries of the employees of the departments or incurring day-to-day expenses.

The directives were issued when the lack of transparency in the distribution of funds under the Zakat and Baitul Maal funds came under scrutiny of the court.

SC orders Mufti Usmani's opinion be placed on court record

Subsequently on May 4, Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed while heading a five-judge bench had also expressed thanks to Mufti Usmani for his valuable opinion in the matter of Zakat with an observation that such opinion had been read and found to be substantial material for the guidance of the court. The apex court also ordered placing the opinion of Mufti Usmani on record of the court.

In his opinion, Mufti Usmani said the handling of Zakat at the government level required a very robust and well-organised system which currently was not in place.

If the Zakat system cannot be replaced with a fresh system, the opinion stated, then it would be better to forego the idea that the government manage distribution of Zakat.

'Let the people pay their Zakat with confidence to the poor directly and be satisfied that their Zakat has reached those who deserve it,' the opinion stated.

Mufti Usmani regretted that the people had lost confidence in the system of Zakat and try to avoid paying Zakat to the government, either by drawing the bulk of their money from the bank before Ramazan or giving a declaration that their 'fiqh' does not allow them to pay Zakat on certain items.

Some Ulema, Mufti Usmani recalled, were also of the opinion that deduction at source was not...