The Maldives Zakat House has announced that the collection of Zakat al-Fitr will commence on the first day of Ramadan. Zakat al-Fitr, an obligatory almsgiving for every able Muslim before the conclusion of Ramadan, is intended to enable the impoverished to partake in Eid al-Fitr festivities alongside the broader Muslim community.
The Zakat House confirmed that zakat contributions will be accepted online starting from the first day of the forthcoming fasting month, continuing until 6 a.m. on 27 Ramadan. There are five platforms available for online zakat payments: the Dhiraagu mobile application and Dhiraagu Pay website, the Ooredoo M-Faisaa application, the Maldives Islamic Bank (MIB) mobile application, the Bank of Maldives (BML) mobile application, and the FahiPay mobile application, in addition to the Bandeyri Pay website. The Zakat House has noted that FahiPay and Bandeyri Pay can be utilised for zakat payments until the final day of Ramadan.
For those unable to access online resources, the Zakat House will establish zakat collection counters at the Islamic Centre to facilitate in-person payments. These counters will also operate during the final ten days of Ramadan, which will be observed as government holidays following a decision by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu. From 2 to 20 March, the counters will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and from 23 to 30 March, they will operate from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In addition, individuals in the outer islands may make in-person and cash zakat payments to their respective local councils.
The Zakat House has also disclosed the nisab for zakat. Typically measured in terms of staple foods, the nisab for normal rice is set at USD 0.78, Thailand white rice at USD 4.02, and red rice at USD 5.58. For Basmati rice, the nisab is USD 4.80 for standard Basmati rice, USD 6.49 for higher-grade Basmati rice, and USD 8.63 for the highest-grade Basmati rice. The nisab for normal flour is set at USD 0.65, while for Atta flour, it is set at USD 4.86.