Dr Mohamed Fatris Bakaram, Mufti of Singapore, has stated that based on astronomical calculations as agreed upon by member countries of the Informal Meeting of the Religious Affairs Ministers of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore (MABIMS), the crescent moon for the month of Ramadhan appeared on the evening of 26 May after sunset for about 39 minutes.
"As such, the first day of fasting for the month of Ramadhan falls on Saturday, 27 May 2017. I would like to take this opportunity to wish every Muslim in Singapore a blessed Ramadhan. In this blessed month, let’s take the opportunity to strengthen friendship and foster stronger family ties by performing activities together such as having the pre-dawn and break fast meals, as well as the night prayers as a family," he said in a statement.
The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) has announced that the zakat fitrah rates for Ramadhan 2017 (1438) are S$5.10 and S$7 per head for the normal and higher rates respectively.
Zakat fitrah is a ‘head tax’ payable by all Muslims during the month of Ramadhan. The rate is determined by the Muis Zakat and Fitrah Committee, using the median price of 2.3kg of the grade of rice that is generally consumed by the Muslim community.
Muis introduced a two-tier Zakat Fitrah rate in 2005 to facilitate zakat payers who may wish to pay more than the normal rate as they consume a higher grade of rice. Muis said that zakat payers may choose the rate that is most suitable based on their daily consumption.
Zakat fitrah must be paid during the month of Ramadhan but no later than the morning of Eid al Fitr, before the Eidul Fitri prayer. However, the Muslim public is advised to pay early.
Interested?
Various methods to pay zakat fitrah in Singapore are as follows:
• Cash / cheques / NETS at all mosques, authorised Muslim organisations and at the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore
• AXS stations from 27 May 2017
• Fitrah Telepoll 1900-112-3510 (for S$5.10/person) or 1900-112-3700 (for S$7/person), by 25 June 2017 before 7am. Each call is for the fitrah contribution of one person only, and an administrative charge of S$0.20 per call applies
• Muis Zakat online
• CIMB Clicks
Muslims fulfilling their zakat fitrah payment should present their NRIC or other personal identification documents to the authorised zakat personnel (amils) when making payment to be included for tax deductions
Contact Muis at +65 6359 1199 with enquiries.
posted from Bloggeroid