REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — The National Alms Agency (Baznas) hosted the 7th Indonesian Conference of Zakat (ICONZ) in University of Muhammadiyah Jakarta. The seminar lasted for two days and involved ministries, industrial sectors, academics, and transnational zakat bodies, such as from Malaysia, Nigeria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.

The 7th Executive Chairman of ICONZ Muhammad Hasbi Zaenal said the ultimate goal of the seminar was not only to exchange knowledge about the role of zakat as an economic recovery for a country, but also to produce a plan for the establishment of an international-level zakat consulting institution.

“ICONZ will recommend an annual meeting of governance zakat institutions for the country, a consultation of zakat institutions under the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Thus, among the OIC member states, the zakat institutions of the governments will hold exoticio meetings. Insha Allah, it will start in the next year,” Hasbi said on Wednesday (7/11/2023).

Chairman of Malaysian Zakat Collection Centre Tan Sri Dato Sri Dr Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman said that the OIC should also take part in this role. According to him, if zakat is also properly managed by world institutions, i.e. the OIC, and then distribute it to eight groups of zakat recipients (mustahiq), it will help solve the problem of poverty, especially in Islamic countries.

“So now that we strengthen our zakat in our respective regions, the rest should be concentrated in the 57 states which are the OIC's members to give (zakat) to those in need,” Tan Sri Abdul Aziz said.

Tan Sri pointed out that Islamic countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab States, are petroleum producing countries. If only from this petroleum sectors the zakat was managed, it would end the problem of poverty in these countries.

As stated in a report, Malaysia has fully practiced the policy that companies should issue their zakat. Both the agricultural sector, livestock, and even stocks are also subject to zakat. In Indonesia, it is still limited to recommendations.

“Some of the things that need to be corrected from the management of zakat in Indonesia is that in our country it is still recommendatory, whereas in Malaysia it is mandatory. So maybe in the future we should be able to confirm how this zakat can be obligatory, because God's command is obligatory,” Muhammad Hasbi Zaenal said.

“What Tan Sri Abdul Aziz said was very good. So if we go back to the commandment of the Holy Quran, zakat is mandatory, then I think this can be a wonderful goal of the struggle of the zakat movement especially in Indonesia,” Hasbi added.

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