In verse 183 of Quranic Surah Al-Imran, Allah ordains: “Ramzan is the (month) in which the Quran was sent down, as a guide to mankind and a clear guidance and judgment (so that mankind will distinguish right from wrong).” Unfortunately, we tend to ignore this clear command. Traders and retailers overcharge customers, people indulge in lethargy, indolence and torpor, negating the very spirit of the holy month, which should be attending to their mundane duties coupled with fasting, praying, indulging in acts of virtue and seeking Allah’s forgiveness for sins. With the advent of Ramzan, a whole army of beggars descends upon cities and populated areas, swarming like ants in every public place, market centres, bus stops and traffic signals. This unchecked onslaught of beggars demands alms and supplication for generous handouts from ordinary citizens, making a nuisance of themselves. This mass of beggars appears to be fully trained in the art of begging and imploring upon the sense of virtue of their targets. The deplorable phenomenon of begging, like organised crime, plans and executes its attack on unsuspecting people, overwhelming them with their insistent pleas to dole out alms. The beggars are fully cognizant of the sensitivity of the holy month of Ramzan, when people are prone to be charitable and generous. Exploiting the weakness of the people driven by their Islamic values, religious sentimentalities and compassion, these beggars extort to the maximum, by pretending to be deformed, handicapped or appearing to be needy. Despite the fact that a large section of society tends to be oblivious to its religious obligations, it indulges in munificence, if only to seek greater benevolence from the Almighty. People tend to make noble and generous donations and loosen their purse strings for beggars during the holy month of Ramzan. Operating like a mafia, beggars attack with whole families, including emaciated and malnourished toddlers. They beseech their prey, appealing to their target’s sense of bounteousness. Like organised criminals, they allocate territories and areas of operation, where they artfully fleece the people. Some of the common ploys and guises used by these beggars are tales of woe, misery or physical and mental deformity to appeal to the prey for as much money as possible. Beggars usually resort to the emotional exploitation of innocent people. The public generally misperceives that poverty is the main cause of begging whereas beggars use religion as a ruse or excuse to beg. Many beggars become fake pious persons with tall claims of spiritual strength and the ability to ensure spiritual healing against psychological or physical abnormality. Others simply extend their begging hands before every passerby depicting their poverty-ridden remorse and distress. Nelson Mandela once stated, “Poverty is not by accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is manmade and can be removed by the actions of human beings.” The messenger of Allah, our holy Prophet (PBUH), loathed the culture of begging and introduced the system of zakat to help the needy, while maintaining their self-respect and honour. The holy Prophet (PBUH) also said that on the Day of Judgment, the beggar (professional) would not have flesh on his face. This clearly demonstrates the extent of the Prophet’s (PBUH) abhorrence for begging. Beggars are controlled by their handlers, effectively extorting the maximum from unsuspecting citizens. Unfortunately, the profession of begging is mushrooming in Pakistan. A section of the media reports that there are terrorists and miscreants who adopt the guise of beggars to launch their heinous attacks against humanity. Fingers have been pointed towards the Rawalpindi suicide attack, which was undertaken by a person disguised as a beggar. The attack resulted in the elimination of two senior army officers. Whereas beggary needs to be controlled as a social menace, it must also be curbed for it is providing an opportunity to terrorists to strike with impunity in the garb of beggars. The government, especially the ministry of interior, must take the necessary steps to eradicate beggary. People indulging in this abhorrent act must be taken into custody and examined to see whether they are genuinely physically or mentally challenged. Such cases should be housed in special homes where their needs can be met through zakat and the baitul maal. Those who are physically and mentally fit but resort to begging because of being impoverished should be taught skills so that they can earn their livelihood with dignity. The upsurge of beggars during Ramzan or Eid festivals implies that there are gang leaders who operate them. These mafioso must be identified and taken to task for exploiting the beggars and launching them into society to earn their share of the bounties collected. Severe punishment, including fines and incarceration of the gang leaders, will deter them from sponsoring the bane of beggary. The writer is a former group captain of PAF, who also served as air and naval attaché at Riyadh. Currently, he is a columnist, analyst and a television show host