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October 22, 2006
What to make of unpoverty
I have to engage in some Eid time bribery to make my JV partner and associates comfortable with my generally heathen habits, which includes coughing up some Zakat and some added bonus Zakat to make amends for said behaviours (which I shall spare the more faithful from enumerating during this holy season).
This involves of course giving money to needy people, and for added bonus, it should be done personally. I had to rebel at this point, pointing out that I did not know any needy people personally (other than my company driver, but I've already given a Ramadan bonus to him - it would be awkward for our working relationship to do so again), except my Bawab, and I hate him.
After much conversation, I finally was able to convince my moral monitors that outsourcing the donation to them was far more intelligent since (i) I trust them, (ii) they actually know needy people, (iii) would spare me the perhaps security issue raising operation of going to a mosque and handing out the Zakat plus. Given the sum arrived at after much discussion of sins and the going rate as it were, I am afraid the donation is somewhat heftier than might be prudent to hand out.
Posted by The Lounsbury at October 22, 2006 05:49 PM
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Perso-Expatedness
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Comments
next time ask your aqoul readers if any of them are needy. we might spend it on more entertaining things than basic life necessities
Posted by: drdougfir ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://lounsbury.aqoul.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at October 22, 2006 08:38 PM
Your poverty and subsequent alleviation thereof however buys me no useful baraka in the local market, so sorry, uninterested.
Posted by: The Lounsbury at October 22, 2006 09:29 PM
what if i sent you some typical "pathetic 3rd world starving orphan" photos, as is often found in those "donate $5/month to some random kid in Mali" fundraisers, to show to the local market? surely that must count for something. afterall, one must keep up one's cuban comfort fund.
Posted by: drdougfir at October 22, 2006 09:32 PM
The keys to properly preparing your Zakat return are good record keeping and properly characterizing expenditures and assets. Zakat is payable throughout the year so all your charitable acts towards the less fortunate, such as tipping and vacationing in Spain, can be counted toward the Zakat you owe.
Of course, properly calculating your Zakat also depends on properly calculating the basis for any investments you hold. Don't forget to depreciate!
On a slightly more serious note, I'd be extremely careful if I were you. You don't want either you or your JV Partner to get tariqed. One inadvisable donation can get you on the State Department's shit list forever. The Quran has wise advice here.
"If you give alms openly, it is well, and if you hide it and give it to the poor, it is better for you; and this will do away with some of your evil deeds; and Allah is aware of what you do." [Al-Quran 2:271]
So it's both prudent and Quranically correct to have your in-laws front for you.
Posted by: Anonymous at October 23, 2006 08:54 PM
You should try finding the impoverished in Riyadh. After a fruitless campaign my driver got most of it, probably thought it was Eid.
Posted by: Bint at October 23, 2006 09:05 PM
Beautiful, I hadn't thought of this. I suppose that makes up for haggling over the value of missed days.
And re Riyadh, see there you have an excuse. I am surrounded by plenty of poverty, it's simply I don't know poor people.
Posted by: The Lounsbury at October 24, 2006 12:45 AM
