The Muslim Charities Forum has estimated that Muslims across Britain donate around £100 million during Ramadan and research suggests that disaster relief, children and education are the top three causes to benefit from the practice of zakat (charitable giving).

The Charity Commission’s advice includes:

• before giving, check for a charity registration number. This can be verified at gov.uk/find-charity-information;
• be more cautious about people collecting for general charitable causes, such as ‘for sick children’;
• when approached by collectors, check whether they are wearing a proper ID badge and that any collection tin is sealed and undamaged;
• if in doubt, ask the collector for more information - a genuine fundraiser should be happy to answer questions and explain more about the work of the charity;
• never feel under pressure by a fundraiser into making a donation immediately;
• be careful when responding to emails or clicking links within them. Don’t click-through from suspicious looking emails; and
• if donating online, type in the charity’s website address from your internet browser.

Monowara Gani, director of operations at the Muslim Charities Forum said: ‘We know that Muslims in Britain take their zakat duties very seriously and are enormously generous in their charitable giving, especially at Ramadan.

‘We at MCF see first-hand the difference that generosity makes. That’s why we are endorsing the Commission’s campaign and encouraging Muslims to check before they give to ensure you are giving to a genuine registered charity and that your zakat is going where it is intended.’

The Commission runs its safer giving campaign at key times of the year such as Christmas, Ramadan and during emergencies and humanitarian crises.