Zakat, or almsgiving, is one of the five pillars of Islam. For every capable Muslim who possesses wealth over the Nisab—the minimum amount a Muslim must make before Zakat becomes obligatory—they must pay 2.5% of that wealth as Zakat.

We have a Zakat policy that has been carefully developed in consultation with scholars and we ensure that 100% of Zakat goes towards eligible programming. You can read what one of the consulted Imams—Shaykh Zahir Bacchus, Imam of Great Lakes Masjid in Brampton—had to say above.

Our intake process for clients asks for financial information in the form of: income, expenses, assets and liabilities. After this is completed, if the difference between assets and liabilities is under the Nisab value, that person is deemed Zakat eligible.

Ownership of funds must be given to those who are Zakat eligible. Thus, if it is determined that a client is Zakat eligible, we will go through an electronic voucher process. The client will be told whether they are Zakat eligible or not and will then have the option of saying “Yes, I allow Sakeenah to use the Zakat I am eligible for towards my stay at Sakeenah/for help from Sakeenah ” or “No, I do not want Sakeenah to use Zakat I am eligible for towards my stay at Sakeenah/for help from Sakeenah .”

The Zakat from the clients above is only used towards program costs and not for administrative costs.