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their profit as Zakat. Although, they get recipient information from the Zakat committee, they

pay Zakat directly to the recipients without any knowledge of the Zakat committee.

Zakat Collection

Villagers usually pay their Zakat fitr at the mosque on the night before Eid al fitr. The mosque
Zakat committee are responsible for Zakat collection and distribution. The committee consists of

4 members i.e. the Imam, Khatib, Bilal and another person selected from the mosque committee.
The villagers may use their own rice or buy it from the Zakat committee. The rate of Zakat fitr is

determined by the Zakat committee on a yearly basis. In the past few years, 95% of the villagers

have paid their Zakat fitr at the mosque and another 5% have chosen to pay directly to recipients.
According to Baan Kota Mosque committee, the trend of Zakat fitr payment is increasing due to

fact that the process of Zakat management is clear and the poor and other eligible groups benefit

from Zakat fitr directly and immediately after it is collected. Zakat collection practices of Baan
Kota is exhibited in Figure 1.

Zakat Distribution

The collected rice and money are distributed also on the night before the Eid al Fitr day. The

eligible recipients are selected by the Baan Kota Mosque committee according to their respected
areas. Each mosque committee member (12 members in total) is responsible to select the

recipients of 20 households. They provide detailed information of the persons they think may

receive Zakat fitr and the final list of recipients is finalized by the Zakat committee. Often, the
recipients are notified in advance so that they may come to collect their Zakat that night or else

the Zakat committee shall arrange it delivered to the recipient houses.

In the past 8 years, 5 groups of Zakat recipients have been included in the list i.e. the poor, the

needy, newly converted Muslims, Zakat committee, and the wayfarers (many of them are Islamic

private school students). The Zakat committee has set up some additional conditions for the
recipients such as no involvement in drug and practicing Muslims. These are to ensure that Zakat

will be channeled to the right persons and benefit them the most.

In 2017, the Zakat committee of Baan Kota Mosque collected 615 kantang or around 1,476

kilograms (each kantang approximately 2.40 kilograms) at the rate of 65 Baht each

(Approximately USD2). 41 recipients were eligible in 2017 and each was given 15 kantang (36