Mosque in London Receives Zakat Payment Using Bitcoin

Although the use of crypto currency such as bitcoin is still a polemic in some countries, it turns out the payment using bitcoin began to be used in various activities. In fact, in the payment of zakat in the month of Ramadan is already starting to use bitcoin.

A mosque in England became the first in the world, which received zalcat payouts through bitcoin. This step is done one month after Muslim scientists set the crypto currency law is lawful according to Islamic Shari'a.

Shacklewell Lane Mosque located in Hackney, London, hopes to raise funds at least 10 thousand pounds or equivalent Rp 189 million from zakat payments through bitcoin and ethereum during Ramadan.
Known, Muslims are required to donate 2.5 percent of their wealth as zakat fitrah during Ramadan.

"We are trying to attract a wider audience with a new currency (crypto currency)," said Erkin Guney, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Mosque, told The Hackney Gazette.
"It's a big moment in the Islamic world, and we've set up a platform for wealthier Muslims outside our community to support and contribute to our mosque," he added.

Currently the bitcoin wallet used by mosques to receive zalcat payments via bitcoin is still worth no more than 100 pounds at current exchange rates.

Gurmit Singh, founder of startup blockchain, Combo Innovation, who helped the mosque to prepare bitcoin purses, hopes this way can give the mosque more donations.

"If Muslims, who make up a quarter of the world's population, have only 1 percent of the bitcoin, or 1.04 billion pounds, then about 26 million pounds could be a contribution to zakat," Singh said.

"The probability of the actual numbers is much higher. Currently, almost no mosque or Islamic charity receives zakat in the form of cryptocurrency. They potentially lose millions of pounds, "he explained, as reported by The Independent.

The study revealed that bitcoin is halal
Last month, Muhammad Abu-Bakar, researcher at Blossom Finance in Indonesia explored the functions of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to determine whether the currency fits the currency definition in highly strict Islamic law.

"Some of the recent fatwas issued by prominent Muslim scholars offer incomplete or contradictory opinions on the topic," said Matthew Martin, CEO of Blossom Finance.

"With all the confusion out there, we want to offer clear guidance supported by solid research that benefits both laypeople and Islamic finance practitioners," he continued.

In conclusion from his research, bitcoin was allowed in Islam in principle as it was accepted by various global traders.

Furthermore, he explains that bitcoin can not be declared unlawful even though bitcoin does not escape speculation and can be misused for illegal purposes. Martin explains that gold trading, silver, and regular currency also experience something similar like bitcoin.