This study attempts to analyse the zakat poverty line between regions (urban and rural) and differences between household head gender (male and female) among the poor and needy zakat recipients in Kelantan. The study is motivated by a few shortcomings of the current zakat distributions as well as an increasing amount of expenditure annually on the two categories of zakat recipients and yet the number of fuqara (poor) and masakin (needy) households is increasing. The current amount of zakat monthly distribution seems to raise some issues due to its weaknesses. This paper offers several alternative regional poverty line estimations with varying underlying assumptions. Using the Household Expenditure Survey 2014, poverty lines are estimated based on the consumption patterns of regional and gender household per capita expenditure. The regional poverty lines from these reference groups produced robust poverty measurement rankings across regions in the country. This study recommends the method of zakat distribution to be improved in order to strengthen the Muslims economy condition and then, it would facilitate poverty alleviation programs conducted by the zakat department.

Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk menganalisis kaedah bayaran zakat harta yang ditawar-kan oleh institusi-institusi zakat di Malaysia. Kajian ini membuat penilaian terhadap kaedah pembayaran zakat yang telah dilaksanakan oleh semua institusi zakat negeri. Kajian mendapati bahawa terdapat ketidakseragaman kaedah-kaedah bayaran zakat yang ditawarkan oleh institusi zakat termasuk institusi zakat yang dikorporatkan dan institusi zakat yang tidak dikorporatkan. Sehubungan dengan itu, kajian ini akan mengkaji punca ketidakselarasan kaedah- kaedah bayaran zakat oleh semua institusi negeri dan menganalisis hubungan yang wujud antara kaedah-kaedah bayaran zakat yang ditawarkan oleh institusi-institusi zakat negeri dengan jumlah kutipan zakat yang diperolehi oleh sesebuah institusi zakat negeri. Kajian yang dilakukan ini menggu-nakan metode kualitatif yang berasaskan kajian perpustakaan sahaja. Oleh itu, ke- seragaman kaedah-kaedah yang disediakan untuk pembayar zakat oleh institusi zakat negeri perlu dilaksanakan supaya mampu memberi kesan positif kepada peningkatan jumlah kutipan zakat di masa hadapan.

This paper attempts to provide analyse the regulation and supervision of Islamic bank in Malaysia and the Gambia. Islamic banking first gained its appearance in Egypt at Mit Ghamar by Ahmed El Najjar in 1963. As a result this paper aimed to discuss and analyse on regulation and supervision between Malaysia and the Gambia. Islamic banking has experience worldwide acceptance by early 2003. During that period, there were at least 255 Islamic banks around the world. It is also evidenced through pass studies that Islamic banking has developed tremendously within the past decades. However the industry is still not great as conventional in almost all the operating regions. This implies that there are still lot to be done in terms of issues facing the industry. It signals that majority of banking users in all operating areas still have not adopted and it might not have been aware of the Islamic banking system. Regionally, operations and models in the operation of Islamic banking are different. As a result, this study will look and analyses issue that are principally similar and will also look into operational difference that are peculiar to each nation and way forward. The study basically compares on the development standard, models issues and challenges on regulation and supervision of Islamic banking between these two nations. This study uses a qualitative approach. This study discovers that in Malaysia and Gambia banking institutions have a different Islamic banking system.

Falah maximization refers to the falah or success not only in the world, but also in the hereafter. Within this context, Muslim believes that obedience to Allah’s command will lead to barakah and falah maximization in one life. Zakat is one of Islam pillar and the unique lies in the collection and distribution of zakat is that zakat is an economic system exclusively for Muslimsociety. In the hand of the muzakki (zakat payer), even though the experience less utility, less income and asset after paying zakat, it is undeniable that he will feel greater satisfaction after discharging his responsibility because as a true Muslim, he will believe that he do that for Allah and the reward will be given only by Allah in this world and hereafter. Zakat can also lead to fair income distribution in a country. When the rich pay zakat promptly, the wealth will not only be circulated among richgroup of people, but it will also flow to the asnaf (mustahik) through the zakat distribution. This study is aimed at explaining that towards the Industry Revolution 4.0, zakat management can be optimized and enhanced using new technologies and by digitization of zakat, it is easier for muzakki to pay zakat and the zakat institutions can use technologies to provide online information and reporting which will help increase trust of public towards the zakat institutions. Because of new technologies, zakat collection and distribution will become smoother etc, then Malaysia will become more prosperous and lastly achieving falah as a whole as the income gap between rich and poor can be reduced and poverty can eventually be eliminated. This study was conducted using qualitative methods based on library research. The study finds that zakat institution should improve their strategy by developing strength and turning threat into opportunitie. Thus, achieving this via zakat will invite blessing from Allah and the Muslim society will not only actually achieving falah in this world, but also in the hereafter.

Historically, Muslims used various payment forms to contribute to their Zakat Fitrah, from rice to fiat money and digital payment as the medium. Paying Zakat Fitrah in Malaysia using FinTech is getting attention in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A rigorous study must be conducted to understand users’ behavioural intention to adopt the technology. The behavioural model of intention from the Theory of Planned Behaviour and its development, including technology as per the UTAUT model, can be used as the underpinning theory. Some insights from the past studies become the literature reviews that were used to develop the hypotheses. As a result, a conceptual framework is proposed using the modified UTAUT model to study the acceptance of Muslims towards paying Zakat Fitrah via FinTech.

Under Malaysia Digital Economic Blueprint, bringing Malaysians to adopt financial technology (FinTech) becomes one of the agendas of achieving regional champions of the digital economy. This quantitative study brings a small contribution to the nation by getting feedback from the public on their perception towards paying Zakat Fitrah via FinTech. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model was applied as the underpinning theory for realising the determining factors. 444 respondents among civil servants in Putrajaya were answering the online survey questionnaire. In the end, performance expectancy is the only exogenous that is significant and correlate with the behavioural intention as the endogenous.

This article attempts to analyse the determination of poverty among the poor and needy of the zakat recipients in Kelantan, Malaysia. The study is motivated from the Kelantan zakat collection (2003-2015) that suggests that the growth alone (high collection) is not enough to eliminate poverty, there are indeed, other elements of poverty eradication like the socio economic, demographic factors, remittances and the investments in social and economic factors like the food subsidy for the poorest, good quality education, opportunities for the most needy, regulation of job markets, and purposively designed social security nets also have significant impact on permanent reduction in poverty. In Kelantan, despite zakat centres having disbursed an increasing amount of expenditure annually on the two categories of zakat recipients, hitherto the number of fuqara (poor) and masakin (needy) households is still increasing (MAIK, 2014; JAWHAR, 2012). Thus, it is important to understand the nature and scale of poverty, the various driving forces that affect it and the determinants of poverty among the poor and needy as linked to this process. A sample of 505 households from 2016 Household Expenditure Survey (HES) among the poor and needy zakat recipients in Kelantan has been used in this study. The findings have important policy implications for Kelantan Zakat Department (MAIK) in making the zakat distribution becomes more efficient and uplift the important role of zakat as one of the poverty alleviation tools among the Muslims. This study recommends the method of zakat distribution should be improved and channelled accordingly in order to strengthen the Muslims economy condition and then, it would facilitate the poverty alleviation programmes by the zakat department.

Pandemic of Covid-19 has changed a lot of Malaysian’s lifestyle including introduction of paying the zakat fitrah via finance technology. There was some debate on the perception of public on adapting this method of payment. Through this discussion, Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) will be used as the conceptual framework to evaluate the acceptance level of sample. Hence, the researchers will discuss the social influence and facilitating condition factors that might have influenced towards the behaviour of paying zakat using fintech. The main aim of this paper is to propose a conceptual framework to measure the acceptance level on using fintech as the means of zakat fitrah’s collection. In addition, it will identify the relationships between social influence and facilitating conditions with behavioural intention. As a result, it will help related parties to understand the Malaysian’s perception on adapting fintech in Islamic finance and identify the right strategic to promote and educate. Finding of this study may assist and encourage the related authorities to apply the usage of technology in Islamic finance as a leapfrog to modernize the world of Islam.

This article attempts to analyze the food and non-food expenditure among the poor and needy zakat recipients in Kelantan, Malaysia, which holds the lowest quartile of poor population. This study is motivated by the lack of concern in providing the perfect amount of food and non-food items in zakat distributions as a poverty alleviation program for these groups. The difference between food and non-food expenditure that does not reflect the true expenditure among the poor and needy can make poverty alleviation (zakat distribution) ineffective. The Kelantan state was selected because of their achievement of being among the highest zakat fund collectors and distributors (fourth in Malaysia and the highest among the government zakat agencies) (MAIK, 2014). Conversely, the state of Kelantan also has among the highest number of poor and needy in Malaysia (EPU, 2014). A sample of 505 households from the 2014 Household Expenditure Survey (HES) among the poor and needy zakat recipients in Kelantan is used in this study. Descriptive statistics is used to profile the pattern of household expenditure on food and non-food items, expenditure patterns of food and non-food items across poverty status and an estimation of the effects of household characteristics on food and non-food expenditures. Household characteristics include age, region (rural/urban), gender, size, and household head's marital status. The findings show that the expenditure pattern among the poor and needy is different based on food and non-food items' shares. The result of this study indicates that not all poor and needy in Kelantan spend most of their expenditure on food items. Thus, applying the same higher food items on each poor and needy household would overstate the food expenditure and devalue the cost of non-food items. Therefore, it will create a flawed poverty line which will further create a flawed poverty assessment.

Zakat is one of the financial resources for an Islamic country to improve their society economy, especially those who in the bottom line. An effective zakat management in terms of collection and distribution will create a prosperous life for the Asnaf (zakat recipient). However, the current method of zakat distribution in Malaysia which focusing on the visible assistance form on periodic basis has some drawbacks in evaluating the poverty between gender in the Muslim community. Despite the increasing amount of zakat collection and distribution, the amount of poor and hard core poor are also continue to increase from year to year. This is because of some weaknesses in this distribution method. The current zakat distribution did not addressed the different needs among household head gender in calculating the Zakat Poverty Line (Had Kifayah). Methodology of this paper is based solely on a review of literature on the topic of poverty among gender and female headships. Therefore, this paper aims to review previous studies based on difference of poverty between different gender households head. It is found out that a new method of setting Had Kifayah should be designed based on current requirement and needs. Women often have to live with greater social constraints than men do. Legal and cultural restrictions, for example, mean that women have fewer possibilities than men of improving their lives economically by their own efforts. To make zakat distribution provides significant impact on the quality of life among the poor and needy, immediate actions need to be done to ensure that at least their needs are satisfied and adequate. The amount of zakat distribution should be re-evaluate due to the current amount is not suitable because of their different needs and consumption pattern between the household head gender.

This study attempts to examine the effectiveness of monthly zakat distribution as a mechanism to poverty reduction in the state of Kelantan, Malaysia. The target population of this study is the poor and needy zakat recipient of the Kelantan Zakat Department, (MAIK). 481 respondents were randomly selected from Kelantan’s zakat recipient’s list from the poor and needy category for ten districts of Kelantan. In depth interview were used to gather the data. For analysing the data, descriptive statistics were applied. Results indicate that zakat elasticity is about 0.46, suggesting that, holding other variables constant, if the zakat distribution goes up by 1 per cent, the monthly income goes up by 0.46 per cent. Further, the male coefficient is about 0.15, meaning that the male gender receives about 0.15 per cent more income compare to female gender, again holding other variables constant. Thus, zakat distribution is significant in determining the income distribution among this group and bringing positive effect towards improving the income distribution of this group. Thus, these statistical measures have proven the positive role of zakat in reducing poverty among the Poor and needy and once again prove our result from previous poverty measures.

Pembiayaan perumahan Islam merupakan alternatif kepada pinjaman perumahan yang ditawarkan oleh perbankan konvensional. Kini terdapat 16 buah bank Islam yang menawarkan produk permbiayaan perumahan menggunakan instrumen syariah. Kelebihan pembiayaan perumahan Islam berbanding pinjaman perumahan konvensional dapat diukur dalam jangka masa panjang. Menurut pandangan sesetengah penganalisis ekonomi, masalah inflasi sentiasa melanda Malaysia disebabkan krisis kewangan yang berlaku dalam sistem monetari dunia. Oleh itu kajian ini adalah bertujuan untuk menganalisis aplikasi pembiayaan perumahan Islam dan pinjaman perumahan konvensional. Selain itu kajian ini juga mengkaji kesan kenaikan kadar inflasi terhadap pembiayaan perumahan Islam dan pinjaman konvensional di Malaysia. Kajian ini berbentuk kualitatif dengan mengambil pendekatan kajian perpustakaan. Hasil kajian menunjukkan pembiayaan perumahan Islam lebih terjamin berbanding pinjaman konvensional ketika berlakunya perubahan kadar inflasi dalam ekonomi.

Nowadays the dual banking system in Malaysia has enable banks to offer two forms of home financing method, the Islamic home financing and the convensional home loan. As we know a house is a everyone needs. They will get by all means by purchase it, renting or build the house themselves. Islamic home financing product is one of the sources that generate profits for the local and foreign Islamic bank in Malaysia. Thus, very few people can afford to purchase a house on a cash basis. As muslim consumers, it is important for them to choose wisely on their financing. This study attempts to analyse the practice of Islamic home financing product base on debt in Malaysia since 2000 till 2016. The study is motivated by few shortcomings of current Islamic home product as well as an increasing the number of shariah instrument contracts among Islamic banking in Malaysia. Islamic home financing in Malaysia can divided into two types, which is debt and equity. Bai bithaman ajil (bba) is the most marketable mode of home financing in Malaysia since 1983 but nowadays, many Islamic banks in Malaysia was accepted musyarakah mutanaqisah (mm) and tawarruq as an alternative to bai bithaman ajil. This study uses a qualitative approach. The paper would survey the practice on Islamic home financing in Malaysia base on debt since 2000 until 2016.

This research will focus on the relationship between the development of stock market and macroeconomic variables in Malaysia. Generally, the purpose of this research is to observe this relationship in the Malaysian context. In order to achieve the objective, Vector Auto Regression (VAR) estimation method was applied on the created research model. The variables involved in this research were the FBM Emas Shariah index (FBMES) used as proxy for Islamic stock market, FBM Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (FBMKLCI) used as proxy for conventional stock market, Industrial Production Index (IPI), Consumer Production Index (CPI), Aggregate Money Supply (M3), Islamic Inter Bank Rate (IIR), Treasury Bill Rate (TBR) and Exchange Rate of Malaysian Ringgit-United States Dollar. This research utilised monthly data from January 2007 to December 2011 taken from authorized sources. The findings showed that stock prices in Malaysia (Islamic and conventional) are co-integrated with the selected macroeconomic variables in which the stock prices is related positively and significantly with IPI and CPI variables but related negatively and significantly with M3, IIR, TBR and MYR variables. From the aspect of Granger causal relationship, it is found that variables of IPI and IIR are the Granger cause for FBMES in the short term. On the other hand, no variables can be proved as granger cause for FBMKLCI.

The practice of waqf is vital in the development of the entire Muslim community. The waqf system at the Perbadanan Wakaf Selangor (PWS) has expanded in various ways or methods to include cash waqf, general waqf and special waqf, therefore providing Muslims with the opportunity to perform worship in a collective manner in order to enhance the Muslim community’s socio-economic status. This study was conducted to understand the concept of land purchase using cash waqf in the state of Selangor. The objective of this study is to ascertain the current status of waqf for the purchase of land through the cash waqf mechanism, along with issues in implementing it. This study used both the library study method and a field study to collect qualitative data. Data for this study was also obtained from semi-structural interviews with PWS officers and those involved in the management of waqf property. The findings show that waqf for land purchase within the state of Selangor has achieved its objective, despite challenges faced. The constraints regarding the waqf system are that the waqf fund collection had not achieved its target in addition to the short contract durations, which had caused the development of the planned waqf property to not run smoothly. Several recommendations and policy implications are suggested to ease future purchases of land through the cash waqf scheme so that it will become a valuable asset used for Muslims’ economic development.

Zakat merupakan antara sumber kewangan bagi sesebuah negara Islam untuk meningkatkan ekonomi masyarakat khususnya golongan bawahan. Pengurusan kutipan dan agihan zakat yang efektif akan membangunkan kehidupan masyarakat yang unggul. Disebalik peningkatan jumlah kutipan dan agihan zakat, jumlah peningkatan di kalangan golongan fakir dan miskin terus meningkat dari tahun ke tahun. Ini disebabkan terdapat beberapa kelemahan dalam kaedah pengagihan ini. Pertama, ianya tidak mengambil kira perbezaan antara kos sara hidup antara kawasan bandar dan luar bandar. Kedua, keperluan jantina ketua isi rumah yang berlainan tidak ditangani dalam pengiraan Garis Kemiskinan Zakat (Had Kifayah). Untuk menjadikan bantuan zakat memberi kesan yang signifikan kepada kualiti hidup golongan fakir dan miskin, satu tindakan yang drastik perlu dilakukan untuk memastikan kualiti hidup mereka adalah terjamin sekurang-kurangnya mendapat barang keperluan dan kecukupan. Nilai bantuan zakat perlu dinilai semula berdasarkan keperluan semasa kerana nilai bantuan yang diberi amatlah kecil berbanding dengan keperluan kehidupan semasa. Ini termasuklah mengambil kira keperluan yang berbeza dan kos sara hidup yang berbeza antara asnaf di kawasan bandar dan luar bandar serta jantina ketua isi rumah. Sehubungan dengan itu, kertas kerja ini bertujuan untuk meninjau kajian-kajian lepas berdasarkan dua faktor penting dalam penetapan Had Kifayah iaitu kemiskinan di antara kawasan Bandar dan luar Bandar dan jantina ketua isi rumah.

The effects of zakat distribution on poverty are analysed within the context of burden of poverty; specifically in terms of incidence, intensity and severity of poverty. These are examined using three major indices of poverty, which include the Headcount Index, Poverty Gap Index and Sen Index. The findings show that the poor and needy have higher poverty measures based on expenditure compare to income poverty measures. Poverty incidences are higher in the rural areas. All methods identify the poorest gender household head is rural female. From the results, it is noted that poverty is prevalent among the households with female household's head who live in rural area. Besides that, the results of this study show that the extent of poverty can be high in low poverty incidence area. This suggests that poverty should be measured based on expenditure method which reflect on their poverty conditions. Results of this article is important for policy implications for Kelantan Zakat Department in making the zakat distribution more efficient and uplift the important role of zakat as one of the poverty alleviation tools among the Muslims.

This study attempts to analyze missing items in current zakat distribution among the poor and needy zakat recipients in Kelantan. The study is motivated by few shortcomings of current zakat distribution as well as an increasing amount of expenditure annually on the two categories of zakat recipients, and yet the number of poor (fuqara) and needy (masakin) households is increasing. The current amount of zakat monthly distribution seems to raise some issues due to its weaknesses. This paper examines several missing elements in the current zakat distribution in Kelantan, Malaysia. The research was conducted through in-depth interviews with selected zakat recipients from a variety of socio-economic-cultural backgrounds in Kelantan, Malaysia. This study recommends that these items should be included in future zakat distribution in order to improve and strengthen the Muslims economy condition, and then, it would facilitate the poverty alleviation programs by the zakat department.

Pengagihan kekayaan di dalam ekonomi Islam amat penting bagi memastikan golongan kaya sentiasa membantu golongan yang memerlukan bantuan. Ini dapat dibuktikan melalui kewujudan zakat sebagai salah satu rukun Islam. Islam mengiktiraf kewujudan golongan kaya dan miskin kerana kedua-dua golongan ini saling melengkapi antara satu sama lain. Isu miskin bandar, kos sara hidup tinggi, kos harga rumah yang mahal menyebabkan terdapat segolongan masyarakat Islam tidak mampu miliki rumah. Oleh itu satu instrumen baharu iaitu waqaf bagi pengagihan kekayaan antara kedua-dua golongan ini perlu diwujudkan. Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk menganalisis produk pembiayaan perumahan secara Islam di Malaysia menggunakan instrumen bay’ bithaman ajil (BBA). Kajian ini juga akan mengkaji aplikasi waqaf semasa. Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah kualitatif. Selain itu, kajian ini juga akan membangunkan model waqaf pembiayaan perumahan menggunakan bay’ bithaman ajil sebagai produk baharu pembiayaan perumahan secara Islam di Malaysia. Hasil kajian menunjukkan pembiayaan perumahan bba dan waqaf boleh digabungkan sebagai produk baharu.