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UNHCR | Zakat | Give your zakat to refugees
UNHCR Refugee Zakat Fund
UNHCR's Zakat Fund helps the most vulnerable refugees and displaced families.
Every Zakat contribution is spent with the utmost care.
- 100% Zakat distribution policy
- Approval of scholars and fatwa institutions
- Food, water, medicine and shelter
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Zakat is an obligatory almsgiving for Muslims who are financially able to afford it. It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, along with prayer (salat), fasting (sawn), pilgrimage (hajj), and the profession of faith (shahada).
If you are liable to pay zakat, you must donate 2.5% of your assets.
The majority of the world’s refugees fall under at least four of the eight Zakat categories mentioned in Qur’an 9:60, including:
Al Fuqara – (the Poor)
Al Masakeen – (the Needy)
Al Gharimin – (the Debtors)
Abna’ Al Sabeel – (the Stranded Travellers)
UNHCR has a 100% Zakat distribution policy. This means your Zakat is not used to cover administrative costs such as salaries or transaction fees, but distributed as it is to refugees and displaced families, including those in hard-to-reach areas.
All Zakat donations are channelled to strictly Zakat compliant programmes. This is mainly direct cash assistance for displaced families, which complements other aid provided by UNHCR.
To distribute Zakat, UNHCR follows a vulnerability assessment framework to identify eligible beneficiaries, including families comprising of widows and their children. This supports families in countries such as Afghanistan.
In some cases, Zakat will be used for goods to help individuals, in line with Zakat guidelines, such as shelter provision.
The UNHCR Refugee Zakat Fund has been reviewed and approved by scholars and fatwa institutions, including:
- Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America
- The North American Imams Fellow
- The Supreme Council of Imams and Islamic Affairs of Brazil | Brazil
- The Tri-State Imams Council
- Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department
- Fiqh Majlis of Canada | Canada
- Zakat Al Fitr | Egypt
- Canadian Council of Imams | Canada
- Al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy | Egypt
- ISRA | Malaysia
- Muslim World League | KSA
- International Islamic Fiqh Academy | KSA
- Tabah Foundation | UAE
- The Fatwa Council of Tareem | Yemen
- Dar al-Ifta al-Missriyyah | Egypt
- Senior Scholars’ Council | Morocco
- Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayya | UAE
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization working to save lives, protect rights and build a better future for refugees, internally displaced communities and stateless people. We work to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find refuge from violence or persecution.