Islamic Perspective on Charity

The tragedy and resulting tempest of September 11, 2001 forever changed the global scope and mechanics of nonprofit organizations in the US and around the world.

In the aftermath of this tragedy, the nonprofit world changed forever and all nonprofits found themselves the focus of attention from the government, the media and the public at large. Muslim nonprofits found themselves under intense scrutiny with their operations being under a cloud of suspicion. Unfortunately, a number of large Muslim charities were closed administratively on the basis of what many in the Muslim and Arab community consider weak evidence or no evidence of wrongdoing and without due process. There is a need to educate the public on the concept of Muslim charity, on how Muslim charities operate and to offer a guide on how to operate a successful charity that is professional, open and transparent.

Visualizing this need, Dr. Khalil Jassemm, one of the leading figures in the Muslim and Arab NGO sector with more than 15 years of experience, offers the reader a comprehensive guide for understanding Islamic charity and for running a successful nonprofit in the US.

By taking the reader through an overview of the concept and significance of charity in Islam in a comparative context and the primary phases of founding, organization, management and practice, this book addresses important issues facing nonprofit organizations operating in the post-9/11 world.

Charity work is not simple work. To many in the lay public, charity work is perceived as simply accepting donations and giving that money away. To professionals, it is about properly acquiring the donation, managing it, spending it, and publicizing the work.

This book will be an invaluable nonprofit organizational and management reference tool, while also providing a comparative perspective on the act of Islamic charity. Regardless of mission type, this text will provide guidance for all nonprofits to becoming more professional and effective.

Thought-provoking and groundbreaking, Islamic Perspective on Charity: A Comprehensive Guide for Running a Muslim Nonprofit in the US is essential reading for anyone interested in learning about the Islamic perspective on charity, how Muslim organizations operate in the US, and how to run a successful nonprofit. We hope for two outcomes from reading this book. We hope this book would make the general reader an informed donor that is aware of Muslim charities and their work, and we pray that this book would be a refresher course to professionals in this field to improve their knowledge and skills.