Zakkat: Commission collects livestock at Sen. Wamakko’s farm

 The Sokoto State Zakat and Endowment Commission on Saturday collected a cow from Sen. Aliyu Wamakko’s livestock farm in the state.

Leading the process, the commission Chairman, Malam Muhammad Maidoki, said it was in pursuance to its statutory mandate.

“The gesture is an obligation not a wish enshrined by Allah to all wealthy Muslims in the society.

“Zakkat is an obligatory duty on all wealthy persons in the society and such duty is not if one wishes, as one will be punished by Allah for not giving out Zakkat as enshrined in Islam.

“Moreover, any body who gives out Zakkat as it is, Allah will protect his or her wealth from any form of calamity, improve his gain, protect his family and increase his faith.

“However, today is the seventh year in a row, the Commission is collecting livestock Zakkat from Sen. Wamakko farm.

“As such, we call on all wealthy individuals to emulate such commitment in order to safeguard their earnings,” he said.

He said that the likes of Wamakko, who annually gives the commission such mandate in the state are only two, Malami Galadanchi, former Sokoto assembly member, and Alhaji Tukur Toro, a philanthropist.

Explaining the exercise, Malam Bello Dan-Gande, an Islamic scholar, said the annual livestock Zakkat in Islam is an obligatory process for every person who rear animals in that capacity.

“Accordingly, the Zakkat of cows started from having 30 cows and that of sheep and goat started from having 40 of each or join together.

“As such, from this farm today we will be collecting only a cow as the number does not reach 60, while that of goats we will not take any as the number does not reach the 40 as enshrined in the collection of Zakkat,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that special prayers led by Malam Usman Dabagin-Ardo was offered for the owner of the farm and all other people who assisted in promoting the practice of Zakkat as enshrined in Islam.

The occasion was witnessed by post graduate students of Islamic Studies Department from Usmanu Danfodio University Sokoto (UDUS), students of Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi Secondary School and Hafsat Ahmad Bello Girls Secondary School.

Others are the Head of Islamic Studies Department UDUS, Dr Shehu Aboki, and his counterpart from Arabic Department, Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, Dr Muhammad Siraj. (NAN)