SHAH ALAM, 2 July 2024 – Muzakarah Zakat Nusantara (MZN), organized by Lembaga Zakat Selangor (LZS) in collaboration with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), is seen as a credible platform for reference by zakat institutions to address various questions and spark zakat innovations in the region, said Chairman of the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS), Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof, in his opening speech before more than 250 MZN participants today.
This second edition of MZN, held in conjunction with the Pearl Jubilee 30th Anniversary of LZS, brings together five Southeast Asian countries: Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Brunei.
The MZN gathering brought together representatives from various sectors, particularly from the zakat management industry, fatwa committees and Shariah advisors, Islamic scholars, researchers, academics, corporate entities, and individuals.
With the theme “Shariah Sustainability and Empowerment of Zakat Da’wah to Meet Contemporary Needs”, MZN serves as a platform to share knowledge, jurisprudence, and zakat governance from different states and countries, benefiting those involved in the zakat industry.
In line with this, various papers were presented to discuss topics related to zakat management, especially developments in Shariah, more realistic zakat da’wah approaches in line with the times, and issues surrounding agenda changes to improve zakat understanding for addressing the increasingly complex needs of the ummah in the future.
A total of 41 papers were presented over the three-day MZN, which began yesterday. Among the presenters were Assistant Mufti (Buhuth), Department of Mufti, Government of Brunei Darussalam, Dato’ Seri Setia Dr. Haji Mazanan Haji Yusof, who presented a paper titled “Zakat Fund Distribution by Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam: An Overview”; Deputy Chair of the Advisory Council, Majelis Ulama Indonesia, Professor Dr. K.H Didin Hafidhuddin, who presented a paper titled “Fuqaha Perspectives on Digital Assets as Zakat Obligations”; and Chief Executive Officer of Zakat Pulau Pinang, Dato’ Amran Hazali, who presented a paper titled “Zakat Da’wah: Competition Between Official Institutions and NGOs”.
Also present at the program were Deputy Chairman of LZS, Tan Sri Dato’ Setia Ambrin Buang, Selangor Mufti, Dato’ Setia Profesor Madya Dr. Anhar Opir, and Chief Operations Officer of LZS, Ahmad Fadhil Hassan.
