SHOKKHOM
সক্ষম
The world's smallest business model run on Zakat — turning obligatory charity into permanent livelihood for the families who need it most.
A Shariah-certified, donor-tracked, family-by-family programme by OBHIZATRIK Foundation. Eight years. Twenty-five business models. 3,200 families now standing on their own.
Zakat, made permanent.
SHOKKHOM — a Bengali word meaning capable, competent, self-sufficient — was built on a simple observation. In Bangladesh, Zakat money is usually spent on clothes and food for the poor. The relief lasts a week. The poverty stays.
We took the same obligatory 2.5% and built something else entirely. Instead of distributing goods, we distribute capability: a sewing machine, a rickshaw, a pair of goats, a grocery shop. The recipient becomes a small business owner. The Zakat money, given once, generates income every day for years.
That conclusion is not ours. It belongs to Professor A. I. Mahbub Uddin Ahmed of Dhaka University, who studied SHOKKHOM for two years and published his findings in a Springer-indexed academic volume in 2020.
Eight years of measured impact.
Built through consultation, observation, and trial-and-error.
Every SHOKKHOM startup passes through the same four stages. No shortcuts, no exceptions.
Identifying the right candidates.
Announcements are made in deprived areas. Application forms are collected by volunteers. Interviews, screening, and verification narrow the field. Candidates are selected on four criteria:
- Financial history. No existing loans. Current sources of income verified.
- Marketable skills. Existing capabilities — sewing, farming, basic arithmetic — inform the business plan.
- Reputation. Neighbours and family members confirm social standing.
- Desire to improve. Honest intent and willingness for hard work are the final test.
Matching each candidate to a donor and a business.
SHOKKHOM operates twenty-five distinct startup models — each varying in size, capital required, and operational complexity. The match is built on three factors:
- Market conditions. Will this business survive in this location?
- Investment size. What does the donor offer? What does the candidate need?
- Existing skill fit. Can the candidate run this with minimal additional training?
Donors reach us through volunteers, phone, or email. Every match is documented.
Training, procurement, handover.
Every beneficiary undergoes 7 to 10 days of orientation, conducted by trained volunteers. The training covers:
- Business development. How to run and grow the assigned business.
- Technology. Operation, repair, and maintenance of any tools provided.
- Financial literacy. Bank account opening, basic arithmetic, saving habits.
Tools are procured. Infrastructure — a shed for goats, a stall for vegetables — is built where required. Keys are handed over.
Tracking outcomes for years, not weeks.
Volunteers stay in contact with every beneficiary. Success stories are documented. Setbacks are addressed. Annual audits verify that funds reached the right hands.
The measure of success is not the moment of handover — it is whether, three years later, the family is still standing on its own. By that measure, SHOKKHOM works.
- Yearly physical visits by the Zakat Committee to beneficiary sites.
- Independent audit of every Zakat rupee, every year.
- Written or verbal Fatwa available to any donor with a question.
Independently certified. Continuously supervised.
Five scholars. Five seats at the audit table.
Mufti Ubaidur Rahman Hammad
Muhaddis, Jami'a Darul Ulum, Motijheel, Dhaka. Department Head (Workshop), IFA Consultancy Ltd.
Mufti Ibrahim Khalil
Khatib, Al Habibia Jam-e-Masjid. Principal, Madrasatul Huda Al Arabia.
Mufti Sheikh Belal Mahmudi
Principal, Darul Ulum Muhammadia Madrasa.
Mufti Neyamutullah
Assistant Head Mufti, Markazut Taqwa Al Islamia, Dhaka (Higher Islamia Education and Research Center).
Khandker Khalidur Rahman FCMA
Chief Financial Adviser, OBHIZATRIK Foundation. Fellow, Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB). Member, Zakat Monitoring Committee.
A beacon for the families nobody was counting.
This initiative has proven to be a path out of poverty for communities the formal banking system never reached. By converting Zakat into productive capital, SHOKKHOM does not just relieve hardship — it builds household economies that grow on their own.
Beyond the financial side, the programme emphasises gender equity. It encourages women to take on leadership roles within their families and communities, fostering inclusivity and shared responsibility. The development of small and medium enterprises is a deliberate engine — recognising that SMEs are how poverty actually retreats at scale.
In 2025, OBHIZATRIK aims to empower 1,500 new families through SHOKKHOM.
SHOKKHOM Report 2022–2023
The full programme year in one document: every business model deployed, every district covered, every taka spent, every family transformed. Read it before you give.
Ten lives. Ten livelihoods. Pick one.
Every name below has been verified, every business model costed, every story checked. Your Zakat goes to a specific person — not a pool.
Choose the path that fits your wallet.
Every channel routes to the same audited SHOKKHOM fund. Pick the one that is simplest for you.
Visa / Mastercard
One-time Zakat donation via SSLCommerz. Local cards supported, instant receipt.
Donate via card →PayPal
For Zakat and Sadakah donors giving from outside Bangladesh in any currency.
Donate via PayPal →bKash Auto-Pay
Set up a daily, weekly, or monthly auto-donation directly from your bKash wallet.
Set up auto-pay →The full SHOKKHOM cycle, on one page.
From the moment a Zakat donor signs up to the moment a beneficiary opens their shop — every step is documented in the SHOKKHOM process flow.
View Full Diagram →
A peer-reviewed case for Zakat over microfinance.
যাকাতের অর্থ দিয়ে দারিদ্র বিমোচন ক্ষুদ্রঋণ এর থেকে বেশি কার্যকর — এই নিয়ে ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের প্রফেসর A. I. Mahbub Uddin Ahmed গত ২০১৭ সাল থেকে অভিযাত্রিক ফাউন্ডেশনের যাকাতের অর্থ দ্বারা পরিচালিত জীবিকা প্রকল্প "সক্ষম" উপর ২ বছর ব্যাপি গবেষণা করে এই গবেষণাপত্রটি প্রকাশ করেন।
The chapter compares the neoliberal strategy of microfinance with the Islamic strategy of Zakat through SHOKKHOM project data. It analyses 82 beneficiaries — 49 males and 33 females — who received Zakat between 2016 and 2017. Of the 33 Dhaka-district recipients, 13 case studies were conducted for expediency.
The chapter finds that Islamic welfare practice of Zakat is more effective in the alleviation of poverty and ensuring social welfare than the neoliberal strategy of interest-based microfinance.
The textual foundation.
SHOKKHOM is built on these verses. They are the why behind the work.
"They ask you about giving: say, 'The charity you give shall go to the parents, the relatives, the orphans, the poor, and the traveling alien.' Any good you do, God is fully aware thereof."
"Charities shall go to the poor, the needy, the workers who collect them, the new converts, to free the slaves, to those burdened by sudden expenses, in the cause of Allah, and to the traveling alien."
"You shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat), and bow down with those who bow down."
"You shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and give the obligatory charity (Zakat). Any good you send forth on behalf of your souls, you will find it at Allah. Allah is seer of everything you do."
About Zakat & SHOKKHOM.
What is the meaning of Zakat?
The literal meaning of Zakat is purification. By giving Zakat, a Muslim is essentially purifying both the soul and the wealth. The word is mentioned in many places in the Quran alongside Salat (prayer).
How much Zakat do I need to pay?
Zakat is levied at 2.5% of all Zakat-able assets after deducting specific liabilities for the year. The annual payment is calculated according to the lunar calendar. Jewellery and gold are Zakat-able items and their value should be included.
For other assets: 5% on farmer's assets where crops are irrigated out of pocket; 10% on farmer's assets where crops are irrigated by rain; 20% on precious resources found on your property within the lunar year, such as oil, gold and silver.
What is Nisab?
Nisab is the threshold amount that a Muslim's wealth should total to make them eligible to pay Zakat. There are two values used to calculate the Nisab threshold — gold and silver — at the value of 612.36 grams of silver and 87.48 grams of gold. The monetary value is calculated on the current price of gold and silver.
You may also come across the term Hawl — the lunar year, or 354 days. Zakat is paid once every Hawl, after your wealth has crossed the Nisab threshold and remained above it for a full Islamic year.
When should I pay Zakat?
Once your wealth has passed the Nisab threshold, you are eligible to pay Zakat. However, it is not paid straight away — it should be paid after your wealth has been held for a full lunar year, and only if the value remains above the minimum threshold.
Who is eligible to receive Zakat?
"As-Sadaqat (Zakat) are only for the Fuqara' (poor), and Al-Masakin (the needy) and those employed to collect Zakat funds; and to attract the hearts of those who have been inclined towards Islam; to free the captives; for those in debt; for Allah's Cause; and for the wayfarer — a duty imposed by Allah. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise."
Is SHOKKHOM Shariah-compliant?
Yes. SHOKKHOM is supervised by a standing committee of five Islamic scholars who certify that every step — from candidate selection to fund disbursement to audit — meets Shariah requirements. Written or verbal Fatwa is available to any donor with a specific question.
How does SHOKKHOM differ from microfinance?
SHOKKHOM is not a loan. There is no interest, no repayment, no collection. The business asset — sewing machine, rickshaw, livestock, grocery stock — becomes the beneficiary's property the day it is handed over. The Zakat fulfils its religious purpose; the family fulfils its economic future.
Independent research published in Springer (2020) concluded that this Zakat-based approach is more effective at alleviating poverty than interest-based microfinance.
How can I verify where my Zakat actually went?
Every Zakat donor receives information about the specific candidate their funds supported, including name, photograph, business model, and district. The full programme is independently audited every year, and the SHOKKHOM Annual Report — published openly — lists every business deployed and every taka spent.
Give your Zakat once.
Change a household forever.
Eight years. 3,200 families. Nine districts. Zero interest. The work continues with every donation.