QNA /Doha
As part of the precautionary measures taken by Qatar to reduce the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19), the Zakat Fund of the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs has issued new instructions for aid seekers, related to providing permanent, urgent and one-time aid in addition to other assistance, which the fund is providing for the eligible registered people as well as new applicants.
The Fund emphasized that the new precautionary measures it has taken is to renew the monthly aid which have expired or are near expiry. It has renewed the aid for the next three months without a request.
The Fund added that the new applicants can submit the necessary documents which proves their need of assistance through the e-mail //helpzakat.gov.qa// and they will be contacted without the need of their presence at the Fund’s building.
In addition, text messages have been sent to all registered cases stressing on the necessity of not visiting the building and contacting the officials only through telephone or e-mail.
Zakat Fund has clarified that a hotline with the number 44701600 has been established to receive inquiries of the cases requesting assistance during the official working hours from 7am-1pm.
Furthermore, Zakat Fund is also receiving corporate budgets through e-mail (public.relationszakat.gov.qa) without the need of giving it by hand at the Fund’s headquarters.
The Fund also noted that a new web link has been developed on Hukoomi website (https://www.zf.org.qa/donation) to pay the Zakat and transfer it to the Fund’s bank accounts without the need for going to the offices or collection points, adding that the work at collection points in malls has been temporarily suspended while collection offices are still working.
In this context, the Director of the Zakat Fund, Jassim bin Mohamed al-Kubaisi, said that the new measures comply with precautionary decisions taken by Qatar, with the aim of limiting gatherings to protect people and the workers at the Fund.
Al-Kubaisi added that these new measures have been introduced since Sunday, March 15, stressing that it will help the transaction process to be faster and reduce the risk of infection.
For his part, Head of Zakat Beneficiaries Department, Faiz Moazzi al-Shammari clarified that the office and field social research committees, tuition and treatment fees assistance committees, and other committees will work during this period as normal, stressing the importance of applicants not to come to the Fund’s building.
Al-Shammari indicated that the Zakat Fund will not hesitate to provide assistance for the eligible cases after studying their documents received via the e-mail (helpzakat.gov.qa). After receiving the documents on the e-mail, social workers will contact applicants to proceed with the research process through phone.
The cases will be notified as regards the assistance result by text messages on their phones.
In terms of facilitating the procedure for Zakat payers, head of Zakat Services Division Mohamed Jaber al-Baridi said that researchers are receiving public inquiries regarding zakat and how to calculate their money’s zakat round the clock through the hotlines 55188889, 55188887 and the landline 44700071 during official working hours.
Al-Baridi indicated that the department is receiving budgets of companies operating in the country to calculate their zakat through e-mail (public.relationszakat.gov.qa), and the specialists will study the corporates’ budgets, zakat base and the amount of zakat due for the corporate, in addition to sending these information in an official letter addressed to the companies’ e-mail.
