The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) will allocate S$1.6 million for the COVID-19 Muis Support Fund (CMSF)
to help ease financial burden of households affected by the economic
uncertainty resulting from the current pandemic. The support fund aims
to assist 4,000 households with each eligible household receiving a one-off assistance of S$400.
Since the start of 2020, Muis has seen a noticeable increase in the number of families receiving zakat monthly financial assistance. To further help families in need, Muis will be providing additional support from zakat. In April, Muis had announced that families receiving zakat financial assistance would be automatically renewed for six months when their assistance expires.
The Singapore Fatwa Committee agreed in May 2020 that those impacted financially by COVID-19 through loss of jobs, or whose household incomes are drastically affected, will qualify for zakat assistance. The committee further recommends that aid can be put together drawing from at least three traditional categories: (fakir miskin1, gharimin2, fisabilillah3 and riqab4).
In doing so, Muis as the zakat authority will be able to preserve and retain the use of the traditional categories for existing cases, whilst dedicating funds for a new category of recipients who face financial hardships due to the pandemic. This will also demonstrate the responsiveness of zakat as a tool for financial assistance in times of need more directly, Muis said, and also act as a stimulus to encourage Muslims to come forward and help.
CMSF assistance is open to individuals who are not current beneficiaries of zakat or ComCare financial assistance, and extra consideration will be given to those who have not received any COVID-19 related assistance. The support fund also seeks to financially support families whose children’s Islamic learning classes had to be disrupted due to lack of means.
The CMSF also aims to assist people who are self-employed and employees who have been affected by the economic impact of COVID-19. As such, individuals who have not been in employment before the start of the COVID-19 period would not be eligible5.
Muis will also allocate S$200,000 under CMSF to support asatizah and their families during the pandemic. The asatizah have been adversely affected by the outbreak of COVID-19, particularly those who are self-employed and doing freelance teaching. This is due to the earlier mosque closures and continued suspension of physical classes at mosques.
The one-off top-up grant will be channelled to asatizah through the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association’s (Pergas) Gracious Package. This package is a financial assistance scheme initiated by Pergas and offered to asatizah in March 2020, at the onset of the lockdown. The topup grant will be utilised to provide more support for current Gracious Package recipients and also to support new applicants.
Details:
Applications for the CMSFwill be open until the end of August 2020. At the end of the application exercise, Muis will shortlist 4,000 applications who are most in need based on their per capita income.
To apply, click here.
1 Fakir is a category when the individuals has neither material possessions nor means of livelihood; one who suffers, and has no means to sustain his/her daily needs. The definition of miskin refers to when an individual has insufficient means of livelihood to meet his /her basic needs.
2 Gharimin is the category when an individual is in debt and needs assistance to meet his/her basic needs.
3 Fisabilillah is when an individual strives in the cause of Allah for the betterment of the community.
4 The category of riqab in Singapore refers to those who require some assistance to pursue their education, children of zakat recipients. More details of the above categories of beneficiaries of zakat (asnaf) can be found at www.muis.gov.sg/Zakat/About/Beneficiaries-of-Zakat-Asnaf
5 23 January 2020 is the date determined as to when COVID-19 first occurred in Singapore.
Since the start of 2020, Muis has seen a noticeable increase in the number of families receiving zakat monthly financial assistance. To further help families in need, Muis will be providing additional support from zakat. In April, Muis had announced that families receiving zakat financial assistance would be automatically renewed for six months when their assistance expires.
The Singapore Fatwa Committee agreed in May 2020 that those impacted financially by COVID-19 through loss of jobs, or whose household incomes are drastically affected, will qualify for zakat assistance. The committee further recommends that aid can be put together drawing from at least three traditional categories: (fakir miskin1, gharimin2, fisabilillah3 and riqab4).
In doing so, Muis as the zakat authority will be able to preserve and retain the use of the traditional categories for existing cases, whilst dedicating funds for a new category of recipients who face financial hardships due to the pandemic. This will also demonstrate the responsiveness of zakat as a tool for financial assistance in times of need more directly, Muis said, and also act as a stimulus to encourage Muslims to come forward and help.
CMSF assistance is open to individuals who are not current beneficiaries of zakat or ComCare financial assistance, and extra consideration will be given to those who have not received any COVID-19 related assistance. The support fund also seeks to financially support families whose children’s Islamic learning classes had to be disrupted due to lack of means.
The CMSF also aims to assist people who are self-employed and employees who have been affected by the economic impact of COVID-19. As such, individuals who have not been in employment before the start of the COVID-19 period would not be eligible5.
Muis will also allocate S$200,000 under CMSF to support asatizah and their families during the pandemic. The asatizah have been adversely affected by the outbreak of COVID-19, particularly those who are self-employed and doing freelance teaching. This is due to the earlier mosque closures and continued suspension of physical classes at mosques.
The one-off top-up grant will be channelled to asatizah through the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association’s (Pergas) Gracious Package. This package is a financial assistance scheme initiated by Pergas and offered to asatizah in March 2020, at the onset of the lockdown. The topup grant will be utilised to provide more support for current Gracious Package recipients and also to support new applicants.
Details:
Applications for the CMSFwill be open until the end of August 2020. At the end of the application exercise, Muis will shortlist 4,000 applications who are most in need based on their per capita income.
To apply, click here.
1 Fakir is a category when the individuals has neither material possessions nor means of livelihood; one who suffers, and has no means to sustain his/her daily needs. The definition of miskin refers to when an individual has insufficient means of livelihood to meet his /her basic needs.
2 Gharimin is the category when an individual is in debt and needs assistance to meet his/her basic needs.
3 Fisabilillah is when an individual strives in the cause of Allah for the betterment of the community.
4 The category of riqab in Singapore refers to those who require some assistance to pursue their education, children of zakat recipients. More details of the above categories of beneficiaries of zakat (asnaf) can be found at www.muis.gov.sg/Zakat/About/Beneficiaries-of-Zakat-Asnaf
5 23 January 2020 is the date determined as to when COVID-19 first occurred in Singapore.