A Journey in Bissau

FEBRUARY 4, 2022

On day one of entering Guinea-Bissau, we made our first stop in Pelundu Village.

When we arrived, many greeted us warmly along with the local Imam who also helps to manage the orphanage of the village. After a throng of people who greeted us came and went, a wandering elder walked evenly towards us with a vibratory signal that beckoned one to sit with him.

Quickly, by instinct, I grabbed him a chair and sat it nearest to myself and Lamin Mendi. Sidi Lamen is a Bissua native and one of the most important volunteers of the Bissau Project.

As the elderly man sat, I asked him through a translator if he could share with us some of the history of Islam and its presence in the land of Bissau.

His tongue instantly began to type words into the air.

An elderly man from the village of Pelundu related the history of Islam in the village

The first person to become Muslim from the village of Pelundu faced huge obstacles on his path. It happened that his accepting Islam and trying to teach it coincided with a war in the region, so at that time people in the village were more focused on their mode of survival than on learning some new concept of God.

The other problem that existed was that they didn’t believe in God in the first place, as they were still attached to mystical beliefs and practices that their tribe had practiced for generations.

Their acceptance of this new concept of God was neither quick nor easy. However, this first Muslim in the village kept making dua and doing acts of kindness throughout the village, until slowly the acceptance of this religion entered the hearts of the people.

As he reached old age and passed away, he left his daughters with those who were Muslim to grow the Ummah locally. Today, the village of Pelundu is almost 100% Muslim.

The Bissau Project has tried to follow him in his efforts, and to strengthen the village of Pelundu through Islam.

One of the Bissau Project's main focuses in Pelundu is the orphanage/school that houses roughly 10-15 children. We are now working on creating better sleeping quarters, by providing mattresses as well as contributions to other areas of necessity.

Children in one of the Bissau Project schools

The children of Bissau don’t find it easy even in a full household, let alone without their parents. This orphanage is a special place, as their smiles light it up, and their warm hearts seem to keep the cold from setting in.

As the children come together as a body, the excitement of sharing time, games, meals, and a place together helps the young boys there to grow stronger, and protects them from many potential harms they are likely to face otherwise.

FEBRUARY 5, 2022

On the second day, we travelled to the village of Nhcira (pronounced nhy-kee-ra) where the Bissau Project teachers had their first online webinar class. We spent the following three days here, as all of the teachers from the various villages came together at this central location to invest their time in increasing their education through the online classes and various other activities.

All Bissau Project teachers gather in the village of Nhcira once a month to continue their own education with online and in-person classes

This monthly online seminar is one of the major new initiatives of the Bissau Project's education program. As the teachers of the various villages continue their own education, this helps strengthen the education program overall. The teachers come together to increase their own knowledge in areas of Fiqh, Tajweed, Aqeedah, and other subject fields that are essential for the success of mature and legally responsible Muslim.

This year, the Bissau Project has successfully launched a webinar led by Sheikh Fawzi of al-Azhar. This is a huge opening, as it shows how proper use of technology can help the people gain knowledge despite a lack of local resources.

For the communities of Bissau, it's very important to provide the opportunity for the local people to become educated, without the teachers having to leave the region to acquire knowledge. Our team's experience is that this leads to a more balanced environment, firmly established upon Shari’ah and proper ‘Adab, and firmly rooted in the local community.

The Bissau Project teachers with director Muhammad Siraj ad-Deen

Bissau Project administrator Ishmael Banura, along with director Muhammad Siraj ad-Deen, spent hours going over tajweed rules and assuring that every haruf is honored. Al-Amin (Lamin) Sunko discussed issues of fiqh, assuring that the obligatory duties of the Muslim were fortified in the teachers' minds.

Al-Amin Sunko also spent time each day after Fajr with everyone going over Qur’an recitation, and their voices drifted from the masjid, filling the fresh serene air with the beautification of Allah’s words.

FEBRUARY 6, 2022

On the third day, we took a leave from the teachers, and departed from the village of Nhcira for a visit to Bissau, the capital and largest city of Guinea-Bissau.

This trip was part of the effort to find an ideal location for a boarding school that will be central and easily accessible to the youth of the neighboring cities and villages. The locals have a long tradition of sending their youth away from home to gain knowledge and grow into maturity, and the Bissau Project hopes to help fulfill this tradition, while providing the children with better living environments, better education, and the elements of a good upbringing. This quest is one of true devotion on the part of everyone involved.

No decisions have been set in stone yet as to where the boarding school will be, but the team is working diligently to complete this phase of the project as soon as possible.

Life in the capital of Bissau is quite different from the villages

Drawing on several years of experience, the Bissau Project team is in the process of redesigning its education system, incorporating new innovations as well as many beneficial practices developed by the ustadh. This includes restructuring the curriculum for students of grades K-12 level, as well as utilizing various new technologies and resources.

The team of ustadh are learning new ways to be more effective with their teaching approach, and are assisting in designing the new curriculum. Everyone is hopeful and confident this new curriculum will help the students ascend from one level of achievement into the next.

Along with designing new material for the students, the Bissauan educators received training on how to use a new software system to log and track their students’ progress. This improved record keeping will assure higher chances of success for students and teachers alike.

I witnessed how the teachers are doing their best to provide the students with a solid foundation in education, while contending with the issues of a not-so-easy living environment, as well as occasionally unstable learning environments. These issues pose a huge difficulty for the youth of Islam and their ability to excel to their maximum potential, and the entire Bissau Project team is working to address them with comprehensive and long-lasting solutions wherever possible.

The Bissau Project ustadhs at their monthly study session in Nhcira

FEBRUARY 7, 2022

Having completed their monthly training, as well as their planning for the upcoming year, the teachers from visiting villages returned home to do what they do best: teach.

The morning routine of Qur’an in the morning at the local masjid was absent but was replaced by something that was just as rejuvenating: SCHOOL!

As the morning began and breakfast was completed, the children of the village of Nhcira made Hajj from the homes to the masjid. As Ustadh Ibrahim went over the breakdown of words in the form of “Aa-Ba-Da; Abada” in unison the voices of the young humming birds repeated with accuracy.

As he continued to teach throughout his class, one thing that was most impressive was the fact that despite the kids’ age range from 5-10, their laser-sharp focus and discipline.

Also noteworthy was Ustadh’s Ibrahim’s patience and articular clarity with his work.

As I watched this teacher-student relationship, I found myself in awe. It wasn’t a class of forcing the kids to sit and listen but one where the kids were actually connected to the teacher’s knowledge, itself. The greatest thing I learned from this part of the day was mannerism with knowledge and the possessor of it.

Ustadh Ibrahim with his class in the village of Nhcira

FEBRUARY 8, 2022

The following day, the fifth day of our trip, trip, we made our way to the village of Mansoa.

Arriving in the village, we went straight to the Madrassa of Ustadh Abdullah Camara. As we exited the vehicle, the singing of “Al-hamdulillahi Rabbil ‘Alamin” vibrated the atmosphere. The children were reciting in unison, echoing Ustadh Abdullah in the learning and reviewing of Surah al-Fatihah.

This was no ordinary recitation of the Qur’an but one filled with natural ease, energy, and excitement.

As Ustadh recited with a stern tone with attention to detail, the mass of energy wailed back an echo that made you hold your heart along with smiles that reached the heart of the heavens.

Children review the Arabic alphabet in the madrassa of Ustadh Abdullah Camara

After class concluded, the kids of Mansoa set about tending to their chores, which included cleaning, fetching water from the well, and helping the cooks prepare dinner.

Ustadh Abdullah joined with Abu Bakr Sunko and Muhammad Siraj ad-Deen to do a walk-around of the school building and give it an evaluation. They designed a blueprint of the building and went to work on coming up with plans for renovation as well as how to use the space available to its maximum potential.

The vision for the future is to fill the school building to its full capacity, after ensuring that its condition is appropriate to accommodate more people.

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

The sixth day began quite early as we made a trek into the village of Bedanda. The original name of this village is said to have been ‘Hamdullah’ as these were the first words that the first settler there announced upon being blessed with the land.

Here, Ustadh Idris works with the kids of the surrounding areas when they are not going to the schools mandated by the government.

The elders of the village welcomed us, sat us down, and updated us as to the status of the community. They then began to share with us the history of the land and how they all came to that specific location.

After sharing a midday meal, we departed.

The elders of the village of Bedanda welcomed us and updated us on the state of affairs in the village. We then shared a midday meal.

We soon arrived in the neighboring village of Combuchangi, where Ustadh Dansoe Alfamarra helps keep the community strong through the exercise of Islam.

In Combuchangi, the Bissau Project team interviewed several children to see how they were making progress as well as take into consideration who they could help into a better school in order to help with learning and creating options for a more successful future. The interview process continued into the setting of the sun.

After the conclusion of speaking with Ustadh Dansoe about what their thoughts were, we headed back to Bedanda.

After returning to where we would house for the night, we then became observers of Ustadh Idris’ class. He had students that ranged from anywhere from 4-18. With lack of electric access, we used the lighting tools available to make visible the handmade blackboard that he would use to cover the huruf of the Arabic language.

For the kids, coming together to further their education in the religion seemed like a kind of getaway. The excitement of coming together to support one another - or tease if one forgets an ayat - in their lessons was something that they all looked forward to, and they gave full energy once there.

From the basics of the enunciation of letters, to the reciting of Qur’an, Ustadh made sure that he paid detailed attention to all of his students alike. If you looked at the clock, you would think, "It’s getting late!" But with the energy of the environment, it felt as you were just becoming alive.

Ustadh Dansoe and his students in the village of Combuchangi with Bissau Project director Muhammad Siraj ad-Deen

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

As our seventh day began, the air was filled with a cool, relaxing mist that extended from the skies to the earth. There was no pollution, as the long dirt roads hardly saw vehicles at all. Peace enveloped us as we prepared for the day ahead.

This day, we held a seminar for the village and those from surrounding areas, to go over the topics of obligatory matters, and to answer any questions they had about belief, worship, etc. Two separate classes were held, one for women and the other for the men. Muhammad Siraj ad-Deen, Abu Bakr Sunko, Ustadh Idris, and Ustadh Dansoe collaborated to ensure that the message was clearly understood through translations.

People came to the events in throngs!

We mentioned the complete engagement of the children in their classes, and we found the adults were also very much fully engulfed in learning. Hands would fly in the air at the first point of questioning, heads nodded constantly in a manner of understanding and acceptance. Chimes of “Al-hamdulillah” or “Subhanallah” constantly shot through the masjid like falling stars.

On the seventh day of our trip, the Bissau Project teachers held a seminar for the adults of the community of Bedanda

The community of Bedanda was very loving and embracing.

The one thing that seemed to make them so receptive was the fact that the Bissau Project team consistently comes back to check on them, and continues to support them with education and other resources.

Our consistency shows them that we will never forget them. They associate that directly with Allah's generosity, and it creates a deep-rooted passion to get everything that pertains to Him. If the people behave like this, they envision His being pleased with us.

The seminar encompassed the day, as the questions continued and people continued to introduce themselves and children.

Ustadh Idris and his students in the village of Bedanda with Bissau Project director Muhammad Siraj ad-Deen

As the day came to a close, the thoughts of the man who chimed, “Hamdullah,” now became an inherited understanding.

Everything about the village and the people seems to make you reflect. The place somehow creates an experience of being emptied from yourself, and completely turned over to God, weightless.

FEBRUARY 11, 2022

The morning of our eighth day was spent interviewing various children who had advanced in their studies, to see if any of them might be eligible to transfer into one of the boarding schools already established in the Gambia.

After having sat with various candidates, we prepped our things and headed for the village of Cora.

All the villages we visited thus far had the presence of Islam already there. This was not the case with the village of Cora.

One of the young men from the village studies with Ustadh Abdullah of Mansoa, and he has seen how the Bissau Project has helped the community of Mansoa for the better. This young man wanted to introduce us to his village, so that his people could learn more. He hoped that his people might become witnesses to the Oneness of God.

A young man from the village of Cora requested that we come to his village to invite his people to Islam

Upon arrival, the local call was made alerting all members of the community that an important meeting was about to happen.

The villagers of Cora gathered around, and Muhammad Siraj ad-Deen began to speak with them. They discussed first principles, the importance of a relationship with God, and the need for communication with Him in the form of prayer. Muhammad made clear that one of Islam’s most important elements is the removal of the worship of created things, which is replaced by the true worship of the Creator Himself.

The people received his message in good spirit, and some of the elders gave feedback. They mentioned how they thought that Islam could help them to change their ways of worship to something more beneficial for them. They also discussed the evil that is taking hold of their youth, which manifested in outright disrespect of the adults, drinking, engaging in immoral acts on a regular basis, and other things.

We ask God to guide them.

In the event that the community takes on Islam as a new way of life, analysis has already begun as to where a madrassa and masjid would go.

Bissau Project director Muhammad Siraj ad-Deen discusses Islam with elders and people of the village of Cora

The day didn’t finish there.

After our long discussion with the people of Cora, we loaded up the car to visit the village of Combuchangi, in a different part of Guinea-Bissau.

The purpose of our trip to Combuchangi was to find a canoe for the local village. From their location, access to food is not easy, but if their village is able to acquire a boat, if will be much easier for them to keep their families fed.

Buying a new boat at the time is not as easy as it once was, because the government has placed restrictions on the cutting of trees. Without adequate timber, the men of of the boat-building industry are facing great difficulty in providing proper boats for their customers. We viewed the best of what they did have available and discussed all details of the agreement before concluding the meeting.

Finding resources for survival in Guinea-Bissau is not easy. The people are resourceful, but they need help in a lot of areas. This is just one example of the type of help needed.

Once we had finished evaluating the boat, we made our way back to a place we had been a couple days ago, the village of Mansoa.

Our team inspects a boat, which could help the village of Combuchangi address their transportation and food supply issues

FEBRUARY 12, 2022

Now nine days into our trip, the beginning of the day in Mansoa was spent interviewing a prospective teacher for one of the local villages.

Once finished with the interview, we made our way to meet the contractors who are drilling the borehole to provide water for the village. Muhammad corresponded with them throughout the day to assure that the project was progressing as agreed, and to discuss issues as they came up.

We've found that the groundwater in the region of Mansoa seems to contain a lot of iron, which although not toxic, does affect the color of the water. Another issue is inadequate supply in many of the groundwater locations. It doesn’t seem like an easy job. However, everyone is committed to seeing the project through to completion, to ensure the village has easier access to clean drinking water.

Throughout the day, the contractors and our team kept looking at different locations, trying to evaluate which would be the best site to drill another borehole. We also held meetings with the chiefs of all the surroundings villages, as they have say-so over what happens on the land in their particular areas, and we needed to ensure that the borehole and water supply systems were approved by everyone.

Our team inspects one of the boreholes that has been drilled to provide drinking water for the village of Mansoa

Once conversations with the contractors of the project concluded, it was back to school we went. The children, as charged as ever, worked on reciting Surah al-Fatihah as well as lessons on the Arabic lettering system.

Ustadh Abdullah had them continue their recitation as he went over some final items with Muhammad. Once that was completed, we set out for the next destination of our journey.

FEBRUARY 12, 2022

After leaving from the village of Mansoa, our journey continued into the village called Unkur. This is the home village of Ustadh Abu Bakr Sonko, one of the Bissau Project administrators.

The day was spent listening to the recitation of students of his school, to gauge who would best be suited to join the other advanced students in The Gambia.

Having completed that, we turned our attention to the local masjid, which was in terrible condition. The village needs help rebuilding it after some recent weather damage. With scarce resources in the area and multiple other difficulties, the existing buildings are often poorly constructed, and may sustain damage in the harsh winds and heavy rains.

The community leaders spoke, and then the Bissau Project teachers gave a brief lecture to the people. The focus of this talk was to help them remember some essentials of the religion, to give them encouragement, and to never doubt God and what He can do for us.

We continued evaluating the building, and the end of the day drew near. Finally, we concluded we had all the information we needed, and we promised to return with a plan to repair the masjid.

With the sun low in the sky, we continued on our way. As we left, the people of the small village gathered and sent us off with blessings.

The Bissau Project team evaluates some of the advanced students in the village of Cumbidja

FEBRUARY 13, 2022

Day 10 of our trip led us to the village of Abu Bakr Sunko and his brother Ustadh Lamin. This was to be the last stop of our trip.

Upon entering the huge village, children surrounded the car and jogged alongside of it until we reached the landing strip. Lamin Sunko was there to escort us out, and the children seemed well prepared for the occassion. They unloaded our car quickly and efficiently, and housed all of our belongings neatly and meticulously in our lodgings.

Salaams came from all directions, along with the mixture of greetings in the local language:

“Abbi-yadi?” (How are you?)

“Kurtunante?” (Are you truly well?)

The night came quickly as everyone made introductions. We spent the later part of the night sharing many stories and smiles around a small fire, which kept off the sudden arrival of cold air.

The men of the village of Cumbidja pray in their mosque, which had recently sustained weather damage

The next day, Ustadh Lamin sat with a group of young men as they recited Qur’an in some of the most beautiful tones one could ever hear. As I joined them with my own recitation, it was as if I was afloat on a body of water, being carried by the waves of their tones. This continued from after the Fajr prayer until the sun made its way over the horizon.

After an hour or so of such sailing, the movement stopped, and our focus shifted to the youth preparing for the madrassa.

The madrassa is within the confines of the village. I wanted to see where the students would meet. As I approached the madrassa, hundreds of students lined up facing the teaching staff for a morning routine which seemed remarkably disciplined, almost like the U.S. military - with the exception of giggles and waves!

The boys lined up into about four lines on the right side, and the girls the same on the left. One behind the other, ordered by age, and all at attention; the teacher sang a welcome song, and the students echoed his singing back in unison. After this warm up, the students split up and shifted into their appropriate classrooms.

Our group went from one class level to the next, and listened to the recitation of Qur’an from some of the best reciters. Afterwards, the students lined up together to take class pictures.

The girls at the Bissau Project school in the village of Cumbidja

Our days in Bissau passed by quickly, as we joined in the routines of the villages. On our last day before departure, the Bissau Project team made an address to the people of Cumbidja, as we had with other villages.

Leaving was a challenge, as our hearts had become very strongly attached to the people. But after finally greeting everyone there, we had to do the inevitable.

We had to say goodbye to Bissau.

The hardest part about helping is that sometimes you are not able to do everything that is needed. The Bissau Project team is working hard to ensure that the people of Mansoa and the surrounding areas get the attention they need to improve their lives.

Although a lot has been accomplished in the past few years, there is still so much to do.

One thing I saw in the faces and the hearts of the Bissau Project team was that they had no thoughts of diverting from their plans nor retreating from their mission. There were no signs of selfishness. Everyone was completely at the service of the people of Guinea-Bissau.

It is inspiring and rare to see a team that is so devoted to a people, especially a people that most of the world has forgotten. Seeing the passion that all the members of the Bissau Project team gave to the people of the villages gave me a newfound respect for the project and those responsible.

The boys at the Bissau Project school in the village of Cumbidja

I look forward to seeing what Guinea-Bissau gives birth to as time goes on. I've witnessed the brilliance and strength of this land, and I feel completely indebted to the entire experience. My time there seem delivered a healing to the spirit that one can’t attempt to put into words.

If I must say what was the most important lesson that I took from this new exposure, it is that Allah doesn’t neglect vision upon any of His creation. Although from an internal, hands-on state, one may sometime think that the Creator has forgotten. This amounts to wrongly equating Him to His creation. But when you understand that this is an evil thought in and of itself, you dispell yourself of it. Then, you find you were accompanied all along, and that Allah is truly the All-Seeing, All-Aware.

We only realize some things once they enter into the tangible realm. Just as the children echoed their teachers, this world echoes the Ultimate. When you find people showing mercy, it makes you see the Mercy of the All-Merciful.

How the Bissau Project Distributes Zakat

As part of our commitment to fulfilling our tasks with ihsan, Bissau Project has started to hold seminars for villagers at the time of zakat distribution, to help the recipients of zakat to better understand the purpose of the this pillar of Islam.

The purpose of this article is to share a bit about how the Bissau Project distributes zakat.

Specifically, we want to look at 4 areas:

1. Legal validity of zakat distribution

2. Priority for the most needy

3. Distributing zakat in the form of cash

4. Distributing zakat with ihsan

Legal validity of zakat

The important point here is that 100% of your zakat contributions are distributed directly to zakat-eligible individuals. Every dollar of zakat that is entrusted to the Bissau Project is distributed directly to zakat-eligible individuals in West Africa. About 97 percent of the total goes to people in the rural villages of Guinea Bissau, with the remainder going to zakat-eligible individuals in the Gambia.

First of all, 100% of zakat funds are distributed directly to zakat-eligible individuals. This is really important. Every dollar that is donated to the Bissau Project as zakat actually reaches people on the ground in West Africa. About 97 percent of that goes to people in villages where we work in Guinea Bissau, with the remainder going to people who are closely connected with our work in the Gambia.

In reality, the Bissau Project doesn't pay a salary to any of our teachers. Any money that the ustadh receive is zakat. What this means is that there are actually no expectations attached to the payments. The ustadh are actually completely free to teach, or not. Because each of them is deeply committed to the Bissau Project's work on a personal level, and is committed to helping to spread Islam among their people, they do teach. They choose to teach because they believe in what we are doing. Each of our ustadh has a deep personal commitment to the Bissau Project, and which only grows stronger. Naturally, they also participate in our teacher training programs, as part of their own own commitment to knowledge, and they also meet regularly with our administrators. As part of our commitment to proper distribution of zakat, we consulted a qualified mufti at al-Azhar, and he judged that this arrangement is a legally valid way to distribute zakat. Of course, legal validity is simply a baseline.

Prioritizing the needy

In some ways it's easy to distribute zakat in these parts of West Africa, because literally everyone is eligible for zakat. However, we have a system to give preference to the most needy people in these communities. The Bissau Project ustadh teach full time in the villages, and because they know everyone, they are able to help our team prioritize distribution to orphans, widows, the sick, and others who are in hardship.

As far as how we identify people who are eligible to receive zakat, to some extent it's easy, because literally everyone in these regions of Guinea Bissau is eligible for zakat. However, we try to give zakat funds to the most needy people from these communities for zakat distribution, such as orphans, widows, the sick, and others who are in situations of prolonged hardship. We give this zakat in the form of cash, so that each individual is empowered to use the funds in whatever way is most beneficial for them and their family. All together, these humanitarian and hardship assistance zakat distributions, in the form of cash, comprised about 75% of the Bissau Project's zakat distributions in 2021-2022.

The remainder of our zakat distributions go to people who are connected with the Bissau Project's work, primarily the teachers in our village schools. The way we do this is actually quite interesting, and I believe it contributes greatly to the spirit of the Bissau Project's work. As I mentioned, everyone in these regions lives below the poverty line and is definitely eligible to receive zakat. This includes everyone who works with the Bissau Project, such as our ustadh in the villages, and even our program administrators.

But in actuality, they are teaching simply because they choose to teach, working fi sabil Allah, in the way of God. The fact that they choose to work with the Bissau Project is simply evidence of their commitment to our leadership and our mission.

So although our first and most important responsibility is to fulfill the legal requirements of zakat, we also aspire to go beyond that, and to fulfill the trust of zakat distribution with ihsan. To that end, we have some really interesting programs to help ensure that everything related to our zakat distribution in Bissau is done in the best manner.

Giving zakat in cash

The Bissau Project distributes zakat in the form of cash. I actually love this aspect of our process for many reasons. It's a very Prophetic practice, and there are many examples in Hadith of zakat distribution in cash. Giving cash empowers individuals to make choices, to use the funds in the best and most beneficial way. Furthermore, it shows we trust people to make their own decisions. It's also interesting to note that a number of secular studies have also concluded that cash distribution in these regions is the most effective forms of charity.

In Bissau, we've concluded the appropriate way to distribute zakat is in the form of cash.

Our basic process is as follows:

Though essentially everyone in these regions of Bissau is eligible for zakat, before distributing zakat we consult with our ustadh, who run the Bissau Project schools in each village. The ustadh know the communities, and they know who are the widows, the orphans, the sick, and who needs the most help in general. So out of an entire community that is technically eligible for zakat, our ustadh identify those most in need. Once they have a list of names, the ustadh ask everyone to gather at a certain time. Our administrators come to the village to meet them, and distribute zakat funds to each person in cash.

I actually really like talking about the concept of giving zakat in cash. As far as I understand it, putting cash in people's hands is very much part of the Sunnah, and part of our tradition. Many Islamic organizations give zakat in the form of food packs, and other useful items, and that is also good, but in our experience, giving cash is the most empowering form of zakat, because it empowers the recipients to make their own decisions, to do whatever is best for themselves and their families independently.

Again, to me, this is really an important paradigm shift. In western countries many people hesitate to give money to the poor, often out of fear that the recipient will make bad decisions. However, in countries like Bissau, the reality is that the vast majority make good decisions. We've seen this on the ground, that giving people the autonomy to make their own financial decisions is the most effective form of charity. I've also seen studies that came to the same conclusion.

So basically, we believe that giving cash is the most respectful, honorable, and useful form of zakat distribution. The Bissau Project zakat distribution process ensures that 100% of the cash entrusted to us as zakat actually reaches zakat-eligible individuals. reflects our commitment to fulfill our trust to both givers and recipients of zakat.

Distributing zakat with ihsan

The first year we distributed zakat in Bissau, it went well, but we noticed that people seemed to feel perhaps a little uncomfortable. We realized they didn't fully understand the concept of zakat, and its central role as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. We thought about this a lot, and decided that best approach was to educate the people about what zakat is.

The next year, we made sure that zakat distribution was actually a planned event. We held a 3-day seminar for the adults in each village, covering the fard 'ayn and other important religious topics, including zakat. People came together from miles around. The energy in these classes is incredible. People are very serious about learning, and they also really enjoy themselves. It was a wonderful event. We concluded with a feast, and then distributed the zakat funds. It seemed that people felt a lot better and more confident about receiving zakat in this way, and we plan to do this again in the future insha'Allah.

We hope these events are another step towards giving zakat in the best way, with ihsan.