Awqaf’s Zakat Affairs Department said the value for this year’s Zakat Al Fitr is 15 Qatari Riyals.

On Monday, the Zakat Affairs Department (ZAD), an office within the Qatari Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs, announced the Zakat Al Fitr value for this year’s Ramadan.

This year, the Zakat Al Fitr value is 15 Qatari Riyals (around $4).

The ZAD added that this will contribute to distributing food to those in need.

A communique published by Awqaf said that in line with the Prophetic tradition, they will use the Zakat donations to purchase bags of rice for recipients equal to 2.5 kilograms.

Awqaf also outlined the multitude of ways, both on and offline, a person can pay the alms. The communique also emphasised that paying zakat in advance before the Eid Al Fitr prayers is necessary – this will ensure the timely distribution of the alms to those who need it most.

What is zakat?

Zakat, or the Islamic duty of almsgiving, is one of the five pillars of Islam.

There are two types: Zakat Al Mal and Zakat Al Fitr.

The term Zakat Al Mal is the mandatory charity donation based on whether a person’s excess wealth after settling debts reaches, or exceeds, the nisaab level.

The nisaab threshold of excess wealth is approximately 87.48 grams of gold and 612.36 grams of silver. However, excess wealth in the form of money, stocks, goods that are useful for reselling, shares, or even livestock, can also be subject to Zakat Al Mal – which is 2.5 percent.

At the end of the lunar year, Muslims must pay Zakat Al Mal.

Meanwhile, Zakat Al Fitr is a food donation made during the month of Ramadan, more specifically, before the Eid Al Fitr prayer.

The most popular way to give this charity is in the form of rice. It is expected from those who have sufficient funds to support themselves and their dependents.