10,500 beneficiaries start receiving payouts from MUIS’ $4.3 million Ramadan support package
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Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim (centre) delivering Hari Raya cookies and Fidyah vouchers to Zakat beneficiaries in Yishun on March 14. With him are Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam (left) and Nee Soon GRC MP Syed Harun Alhabsyi.
PHOTO: MUIS
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SINGAPORE – More than 10,500 beneficiaries of a Ramadan support programme have started receiving payouts under a $4.3 million package disbursed by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, or MUIS.
The payouts, which will support the daily needs of the beneficiaries during the fasting month of Ramadan, started on March 3, MUIS said in a statement on March 14. Eligible recipients were notified of the payouts by post.
The money is being given to beneficiaries of the monthly zakat support scheme, Muslim residents from selected welfare homes, ComCare Long-Term Assistance recipients, households referred by family service centres, and Muslim tertiary students from low-income families.
More than 5,000 families who are monthly zakat beneficiaries will receive support ranging from $150 to $2,100 based on household size.
About 1,400 students from the Institute of Technical Education, polytechnics and, for the first time, full-time pre-university madrasah students will receive $300 each. This is to help them with school-related expenses during the Islamic months of Ramadan and Syawal, which is set to begin on March 21 in 2026 with the celebration of Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
About 2,600 Muslim residents of selected welfare homes, ComCare Long-Term Assistance recipients, households referred by family service centres, and religious educators from underprivileged families will also receive at least $150.
MUIS will also cover zakat fitrah payments for about 1,500 seniors in welfare homes.
Announced in February, the 2026 Ramadan support package is made up of $3.5 million from zakat funds and $800,000 from fidyah contributions.
Zakat is the collection of tithes from the Muslim community for those in need, and zakat fitrah refers to zakat during Ramadan.
Fidyah is religious compensation paid by Muslims who have missed fasts in Ramadan due to valid reasons such as illness and are unable to compensate for them.
MUIS added that since early February, mosques, including Masjid Darul Makmur, Masjid Al-Iman, Masjid Mujahidin, Masjid Jamae Chulia, Masjid Kg Delta and Masjid Al-Abdul Razak, have organised SalamSG Gives events that celebrate the community’s enduring spirit of giving and volunteerism.
Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim said that the generosity showed by the Muslim community here through zakat contributions reflects Islamic values of caring for one another and ensuring no one is left behind.
He said: “Your generosity uplifts individuals and families, while strengthening the institutions that serve our community.
“Every act of charity, no matter how small, deepens the bonds within our community and brings us closer to the values of compassion and social responsibility that Islam teaches us.”
