Hawzah News Agency - A recent survey found that Muslims in the UK donated more than £150 Million to charity during Ramadan this year.

The poll was carried out by Give Brite, an Oldham-based online fundraising and donation platform. The survey, which included more than 25 charities, revealed that Muslims were more generous in 'Lockdown Ramadan' compared to previous years.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is a time of fasting, charity and prayer. Throughout this month, believers are encouraged to be generous towards the poor and needy.

Give Brite CEO, Ali Shaan said, “Online fundraising is growing rapidly every year, Covid-19 has played a huge part in why people have donated so much. When faced by a calamity Muslims turn to God and carry out extra good deeds and give more to charity. This is why there has been a surge in donations this year.”

Despite being unable to carry out standard campaign activities such as community events and bucket collections in mosques, fundraising during Ramadan 2020 was better than expected.

In 2018, research found that £130 million was raised during Ramadan. So there was about a £20 million increase in collections this year.

According to Civil Society News, Muslim Hands raised £2 million over three nights on Islam Channel. Last year, similar TV appeals lead to a total of £390,000.

Fundraising platform MyTenNights, reported that contributions doubled in comparison to last year. They disclosed that 100,000 people helped to raise £10.9 million for a range of charities during the final ten days of the special month compared to £4.3 million in 2019.

Charity is an important part of Islam. Zakat is one of the major pillars of the religion for those that are able to pay it and involves donating 2.5 percent of qualifying wealth on an annual basis.

In 2015 according to World Bank estimates the annual global Zakat contribution was worth between £152 billion to about £763 billion.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, followers of Islam have given more to charity than normal. A Pew Research Centre survey of more than 38,000 Muslims in 39 countries found that 77 percent said they donated to charity.

The Give Brite survey highlights the huge amount of funds collected during Lockdown Ramadan. The unique local and global circumstances have had a big impact on how Muslims give to good causes.