500 families benefit from Zakat Fund in October

A total of 500 families inside Qatar benefited from the financial aid of QR 21.5mn, disbursed by the Department of Zakat Affairs at the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf) in October, an official statement said.Mohamed Hassan al-Tamimi, head of the Zakat Banking Department, stated that the department is keen to help families deserving of Zakat funds within Qatar. This is in order to provide a decent life.The aid is disbursed by the Zakat Affairs Department to the beneficiaries of the registered families in accordance with the controls, Sharia banks and approved mechanisms.The aid that was disbursed in October was of two types -- periodic aid provided on a monthly basis to eligible families or lump-sum aid disbursed one-time as needed. The Zakat Affairs Department allows those who are entitled to request assistance to apply on the Department’s website www.zakat.gov.qa. The applicant for assistance must check the required documents mentioned on the site. These documents should be filled and uploaded according to the places specified for them.Al-Tamimi explained that the periodic aid amounted to QR 9,889,813 while the value of the lump-sum aid amounted to QR 11,587,303. The department receives requests for assistance electronically and the documents submitted are checked.Applicants for assistance requests are informed of the status of the requests via text messages. Individuals and companies can also pay their obligatory Zakat through the Zakat Affairs Department's website or through collection offices and points across the country.