• More than 17 fatwas endorse UNHCR’s Refugee Zakat Fund from across the world.
Dedicate Your Zakat
Trusted Zakat Distributor
0% Deduction
  • Forced to flee their homes, every day is a struggle for vulnerable displaced families in need. Your Zakat can help – widows, orphans, and the elderly, afford – warm meals, clean water, safe shelter for their families, and more.
  • Zakat contributions are distributed within one year of the date of receipt. (Note that based on your Zakat destination, delivery could take from 40 days to a year.) 100% of your Zakat goes directly to eligible families in need. No administrative fees will be deducted.
{Take from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them to increase.}

[Al Tawba:103]

Let your Zakat be the lifeline they need.

Zakat Funds

As they face extreme weather conditions, thousands of refugees and displaced families depend on your kindness to make it through the cold winter months. They are eligible for your Zakat, and need it now, more than ever.

Economic and living conditions are harsh, and the most vulnerable families depend on our support to provide their loved ones with food, clean water, safe shelter, and the warmth their children desperately need. Your Zakat can make a difference to those in hard-to-reach areas around the world, especially the families of widows, orphans and the elderly.

Calculate your Zakat here and dedicate it with confidence. With absolutely no deductions, 100% of your Zakat will be delivered to eligible refugee and internally displaced families as cash or in-kind assistance.

100% Zakat Distribution Policy
Your privacy
By submitting this form, you acknowledge you are aware that your personal data will be used in line with our Privacy Policy. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at care@unhcr.org
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Step 1

Please use the following bank account details: Kindly note the different IBAN for each currency.

UNHCR Non-Interest Bearing Fundraising Accounts:

In the transfer description field, please use “Zakat MENA” followed by the destination country of your Zakat (Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, India , Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Yemen, Nigeria, Syria, Algeria, Tunisia, or Bangladesh). Please note that UNHCR is committed to distributing 100% of your Zakat contribution to eligible beneficiaries. However, if you would like to help UNHCR cover the costs of Zakat distribution, we encourage you to consider a voluntary 6.5% Sadaqah donation on top of your Zakat contribution. In this case, please add in the description "includes Sadaqah".

Step 2

Please notify us at care@unhcr.org when the bank transfer is done. Please make sure to include your name, the amount of your donation, contact info and country of residence. This will help us track your donation and update the counter of the families supported. If you decide to top up your Zakat donation with a 6.5% Sadaqah donation, please mention in your email that the amount of your donation includes a 6.5% Sadaqah donation. You can also, if you prefer, do two different transfers, one for the Zakat amount only, and one for the Sadaqah amount only.

Please include your contact details (Email and phone number) when proceeding with the transfer so we can confirm receiving your gift and communicate with you properly

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5836
Refugee and IDP Families
Reached in 2023
19590
People Donated Their
Zakat in 2023

UNHCR's Refugee Zakat Fund is a trusted, compliant and effective distributor.

UNHCR’s Refugee Zakat Fund is subject to rigorous governance and oversight, ensuring transparency at every step of Zakat collection and distribution.

Before establishing the Refugee Zakat Fund, UNHCR consulted several leading Islamic scholars and fatwa institutions across the Muslim world. To date, 17 fatwas have been received from more than 16 Islamic institutions globally.

Al Azhar Islamic Research Academy
Zakat Al Fitr Fatwa
Al Azhar Islamic Research Academy

Following several requests from donors interested to devote their Zakat el Fitr to refugees and IDPs, UNHCR reached out in…

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The North American Imams Fellow
Fatwa
The North American Imams Fellow

Established in 2004, the North American Imams Fellow (NAIF) represents a cooperative entity of Islamic leaders serving the multifaceted Muslim…

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The Supreme Council of Imams and Islamic Affairs of Brazil | Brazil
Fatwa
The Supreme Council of Imams and Islamic Affairs of Brazil | Brazil

The Supreme Council of Imams and Islamic Affairs of Brazil was established in Brazil in 2005. It aims to establish…

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The Tri-State Imams Council
Fatwa
The Tri-State Imams Council

The Tri-State Imams Council is a non-for-profit organisation, established in the state of New Jersey in 2011. It aims to…

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Canadian Council of Imams
Fatwa
Canadian Council of Imams

Established in 1990, the Canadian Council of Imams gathers imams from around the country to serve the Muslim community in…

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ISRA
Fatwa
ISRA

International Shariah Research Academy (ISRA) was established in 2008 by the Central Bank of Malaysia as an Islamic finance and…

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Tabah Foundation
Fatwa
Tabah Foundation

Based upon our previous report and taking into consideration new fatwas from Dr Sheikh Ali Gomaa and The Fatwa Council…

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Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD)
Fatwa
Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD)

Dr. Ahmed Al Haddad has served as the Grand Mufti of Dubai since 2011. He holds a PhD in Shari’a…

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Fiqh Majlis of Canada
Fatwa
Fiqh Majlis of Canada

The Fiqh Majlis of Canada is an independent non-profit organization working with Muslim Scholars of Fiqh to act as a…

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Al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy
Fatwa
Al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy

The university-mosque of Al-Azhar, situated in Cairo, Egypt, is the foremost center of religious learning in the Muslim world and…

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Join a community of givers who have helped more than 6 million displaced people worldwide
With increasing costs and dwindling resources, your Zakat will help families pay towards necessities such as food, water, shelter, medicine, and more

Majority of displaced families fall under at least 4 of the 8 Zakat categories mentioned in the Qur’an. Learn more about these categories below.

pink icon Abna’ al Sabeel
The Stranded Travellers or Wayfarers
The Stranded Travellers or Wayfarers
Abna’ al Sabeel
The Stranded Travellers or Wayfarers

A wayfarer is someone who is travelling on foot, which is the case for the vast majority of refugees, who…

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pink icon al Gharemeen
The Debtors
The Debtors
al Gharemeen
The Debtors

Over 50% of refugee and displaced families are in debt. After losing their homes and possessions, and exhausting their savings,…

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pink icon Al Fuqara’ wal Masakeen
The Poor and the Needy
The Poor and the Needy
Al Fuqara’ wal Masakeen
The Poor and the Needy

Most refugees are poor and in need of support to survive; they lack assets or income in their long stays…

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UNHCR is following a 100% Zakat distribution policy.
100% of Zakat contributions are distributed to the most vulnerable refugee and internally displaced families, including in hard-to-reach areas.

Exceptionally for Zakat funds, UNHCR has waived its standard 6.5% indirect support costs, to ensure that 100% of your Zakat goes directly to the most vulnerable families. Any expenses associated with the distribution of Zakat are covered by other sources of funding to UNHCR.

Any expenses associated with the distribution of Zakat are covered by other sources of funding to UNHCR. You may wish to help us cover some of these costs by topping up your Zakat contribution with a 6.5% Sadaqah.


Do you know?

How your Zakat helps vulnerable refugee and displaced families

Vulnerable families are often headed by women alone who often face cultural, legal and childcare obstacles when looking for work. Providing refugee families with cash or in kind assistance prevents those most in need from having to resort to desperate survival strategies – such as pulling children out of school or child labour. Cash assistance in particular ensures that the immediate needs of families are met according to their own priorities. This also means that thousands of refugees who are restricted from working in host countries avoid facing severe hardships, while being empowered to manage their own finances. It helps to improve social networks through enabling refugees to repay loans borrowed from family, neighbours, and landlords, thereby reducing household tensions. Additionally, it benefits the local economy as refugees become customers at local shops and markets.

Dedicate Your Zakat