Professional beggars ‘up in alms’

Demands for Zakat and fitrana by impoverished people and welfare organisations gain momentum as the end of the holy month of Ramadan approaches and Eid draws near. After each prayer, needy people and representatives of various welfare organisations swarm outside mosques. Most of them are members of professional begging networks and consider prayer times particularly profitable opportunities for begging.
However, there are also many legitimately needy people gathered there hoping to receive Zakat or appeal for fitrana, who are, however, out-manoeuvred by professional beggars in the race to receive alms. “I am not a beggar but I need money for my family and this is the best time of the year, as people are willing to give aid in the spirit of the holy month,” said Khurram, a teenage boy standing outside the gates of a mosque in Sector G/11.
He said Islam prohibited us from begging, but not from receiving Zakat – and being poor, it was his right to appeal for Zakat. However, any hope of receiving Zakat that Khurram and many others like him have, is dependent upon the people who provide the charity. Their hopes to receive alms hinge upon the rich not forgetting that the poor have no resources, and to give freely in this holy month, when a kind deed is rewarded several times over.
According to the teachings of Islam, the event of Eid is aimed towards creating harmony among the rich and poor, therefore, no one can enjoy the religious festival without including the poor in the celebrations. Zakat, the third pillar of the Islam, is probably the first pillar of its economic system. It represents an important mechanism which ensures economic justice and provides sustenance to the economically unfortunate.
The proper provision of Zakat can bring much happiness to the poor. “I moved to the federal capital in a bid to earn enough money for my family so that we could celebrate Eid this year,” Fizza, a mother of five, said. Eid symbolises new clothes, fancy shoes and pretty accessories for most people. However, not being able to afford a decent meal, this remains a sketchy dream for the country’s poor population. With Eid approaching fast, their cries for alms in cash change to pleas for new clothes for the upcoming festival.
Towards this end, it has been noticed that many people give out used clothes to the poor in the month of Ramadan. In the federal capital, these people usually live in the small colonies like Meherabad, slum areas of the city and in other suburbs of the capital, including Saidpur, Golra, Sara-e-Madho and Bari Imam. It may be easy for the rich to buy new clothes on occasions like Eid, but for the poor masses, it is no more than a dream. A home-based worker, who desired anonymity from fear of his employers, told Pakistan Today that he migrated to the capital in hope of receiving Zakat in Ramadan. Not wanting to resort to beggary for the purpose of receiving Zakat, he took on a permanent job as a servant at a house in Sector G/9.
He said a new trend had evolved in society of late, and people preferred to give Zakaat to the people employeed in their homes, rather than giving it to strangers. Whether they are entitled to receving Zakat or not is debatable, he said. “I have five sisters and two brothers and am also responsible for feeding the three children of my brother who died of hepatitis last year,” he said. He added that he was a labourer by profession and worked on daily wages, but had been serving as a servant in the house for the last two months.
“I am the sole breadwinner of my family. Though the Zakat money cannot meet all my needs, it does bring some relief and a lot of happiness for me and my family during the celebrations of Eid,” he said. Youngsters from rich families celebrate Eid in a whirl of activities such as watching movies or shopping in big malls. On the other hand, there are thousands of people like the said person, all members of the same society, whose celebrations are restricted because of their impoevrished conditions. Some wait for Zakat or fitrana until the end of Eid day to commence with their celebrations.
However, Molana Muhammad, the prayer leader of a mosque in Sector I/8, emphasised that as members of the same society, it was incumbent upon all to remember the poor during Eid celebrations, adding that besides the money of Zakat, one could also help the poor by giving them extra money to buy new clothes for themselves and their children.