THE Elders Consultative Forum of the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria, Oyo State chapter, has disbursed the sum of N2 million as zakat to some indigent members of the ummah in the state.
At the seventh annual distribution ceremony held in Ibadan, the state capital, last weekend, the chairman of the Elders Consultative Forum of the Shariah council, Alhaji Lasun Sanusi (SAN), emphasised the need for Muslims to jettison ignorance about zakat, the third pillar of Islam, which he said is fundamental to the religion as much as its four other pillars.
According to him, the efforts of any Muslim who professes the shahada (faith), prays five times a day, fasts during Ramadan and embarks on hajj but refuses to pay zakat, when he is eligible to do so, will be futile in the sight of Allah on the Day of Recompense.
Alhaji Sanusi urged Muslims to take advantage of the institution of zakat as a potent instrument for redistribution of wealth and reduction of poverty and crimes in the society.
He urged the beneficiaries of this year’s zakat distribution, numbering 116, to justify their inclusion in the programme by making the most of what they received in terms of cash and items.
At the event, which was chaired by Justice Moshood Abass, a lecture on “Zakat: A Veritable Tool for Eradication of Poverty in Our Society” was delivered by Dr Abdul-Rasheed Abdul-Azeez of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, in which he enumerated the spiritual and social benefits of zakat.
The Chief Imam of Ibadanland, Sheikh Abdul Ganiyy Abubakri Agbotomokekere was represented at the ceremony by Sheikh Barih Adetunji.
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