Philanthropists, charities gear up ahead of Ramazan

Pandemic, economic uncertainty have added to numbers of those in need

KARACHI:

Despite a surge in coronavirus cases and rising inflation, grocery stores and supermarkets in Karachi are overcrowded with customers ahead of Ramazan.

Neatly wrapped packets and boxes of lentils, flour, rice, cooking oil, tea, spices, beverages, and other food items are arranged in shelves at a sprawling supermarket in the city's eastern district.

Citizens are buying more than usual not only to cope with the extra consumption, but to distribute among the less fortunate, or those who have been unemployed due to an economic slowdown aided by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The downturn has particularly impacted those below the poverty line - nearly 25 per cent of Pakistan's 210 million population.

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"Ramazan is the perfect time to help others," said Mohammad Younus, a customer, as he maneuvered through a crowded corridor with an overstuffed trolley.

Younus is one of the millions of Pakistanis who distribute rations, alms, and clothing to the less fortunate in Ramazan, when Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn to sunset.

"This time, the poor need and deserve more. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs over the past year due to Covid-19 as businesses have been hit hard," he said. "I've been distributing rations to 15-20 people on the eve of Ramazan for years, but this year I plan to double the figure...we are duty-bound to provide them relief during the holy month."

There are similar scenes in Jodia Bazar, one of the city's largest and oldest wholesale markets.

"We have bought double the rations compared to the previous year due to rising demand," said Mohammad Yousuf, a businessman who runs a small charity in New Karachi Town.

This has given some hope to traders for slight improvement in otherwise sluggish business activity. "We expect more sales this time," said Anas Sultan, a grocery wholesaler. He added that they had relaxed credit deadlines for small retailers "as they were in trouble."

A month of giving

Most Pakistanis prefer to pay their zakat - the obligatory Muslim charity tax - during Ramazan, expecting more rewards from the Almighty.

Zakat, which is "purifying" one's earnings or savings, is one of Islam's five pillars. Any Muslim who owns a certain amount of money, gold, silver, or other assets is bound to pay 2.5 per cent of his or her excess annual wealth to the needy.

In Pakistan it is mandated and collected by the government. Apart from helping the less fortunate, zakat also assists charities run their operations throughout the year. These organisations help stem the economic burden on low-income groups.

One such organisation, the Al-Khidmat Foundation, which also runs a countrywide chain of charity hospitals, including a modern facility in the southern desert area of Thar, plans to provide rations to 500,000 people across the country during Ramazan.

"Our focus is on the remote areas and people who have been affected by Covid-19," says Abdul Shakoor, the foundation's president. He shared that 10 per cent of his organisation's annual budget is met through zakat.

"Charity is hardwired in the blood of Pakistanis. Almost every Pakistani, in one way or the other donates something," Shakoor said.

Similarly, the Saylani Welfare Trust also plans on providing 100,000 ration bags to the underprivileged in Karachi during the month, according to Amjad Chamriya, an official who deals with the charity's ration distribution process.

The charity says it will also serve Iftar, the meal taken at sunset to break the fast, to around 250,000 people. Anadolu Agency

 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2021.