Hyderabad: Swarms of beggars invade city streets during Ramzan

Hyderabad: It is said that Hyderabad is one of the city who dispenses over 400 crore as zakat.During the holy month of Ramzan, distribution of 'Zakat' by the Muslim community in the city has gained momentum. As a result, Influx of poor from different parts of the city are arriving in the city to receive donations from people who dispense hundreds of crores as zakat to the eligible needy groups.

Even as everything has come back to normal, unlike the pandemic when people were financially hit, now the poor are finding ways to make some money in form of zakat by entering the city from various districts and states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kashmir and several other states.

It has been observed that during Ramzan, scores of beggars are seen in all parts of the city. No street or bazaar is free from them. The Holy month of Ramzan is considered to be the lucrative season for beggars as Muslims seek to approach the almighty by helping poor and destitute people to every extent by using various charity means in the form of Zakat.

Earlier, beggars were seen sitting at every corner of the street and people give them money, ration and other donations. But now these beggars are found at traffic signals, outside mosques, hotels, restaurants, markets etc. and chasing the people for the money. They are well aware of Zakat or almsgiving. Beggars migrate to the city from different parts of states during month-long festival Ramzan.

A city based NGO conducted a survey on beggars at different junctions, areas and religious places in the city. Majority of the beggars are seasonal but not professional. They come to the city during festivals and stay on the streets for a period of one month and seek alms, says Khalid Hasan, an activist.

The beggars who have formed groups comprising women, children and old men, flock mosques, junctions and streets in areas of the city which have a predominantly Muslim population. The NGO team visited various places that witnessed a large number of beggars on a daily basis. "We interacted with a huge number of burqa-clad women and interviewed them and asked questions like their names, religions, native places, what is the need for them to beg, since when and with whom and how much are they earning daily," said Khalid.

"Many wanted cash in return for answering our questions. But we were able to get them to talk with us in return for Haleem, which seemed to be a good bargain for them," he added.

Khalid said that during the survey, we found that many beggars were non-Muslims and others were namesake Muslims. Some beggars, who belong to other communities, wear burqas and learn a few words to attract the Muslim devout for easy alms. Most were brought to the city on commission basis to earn in Ramzan. "They had come from almost all parts of the country but majority of those we met were from AP & Telangana. They had come with families, children, those who came alone were provided temporary families for gaining sympathy," he added.

Almost all agreed that earning was pretty good with not a single beggar earning less than Rs 1,000 per day. They were given spots where they were supposed to beg as well as scare away any other beggars.

Do not waste your zakat/charity in the hands of this 'Mafia', give it to the needy known poor among your relatives, neighbors and who serve you. "In this month of Ramzan when most Muslims give zakat, they should give the alms to people who need them and not give it to undeserving people," said Ilyas Shamsi, another activist.