Zakat Management System: An Islamic Manifestation Of Man’s Humanity To Man
Adigun, Wasilat Fayokemi
Department of Arts Education, School of Multidisciplinary Studies
Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere Ekiti, Ekiti State
Abstract
Zakāt is one of the principles of Islam which aims at improving the socioeconomic condition of the poor by distributing the wealth of the society in such a manner that no member of the society is left uncared for. In Nigeria, the problem of multi-religious nature of the country makes it difficult to have a well-functioning zakāt management institution provided by the government to manage zakāt collection and distribution. Thereby, zakāt management is left to private Islamic organizations and mostly to the individual zakāt payers which rendered the management of zakāt ineffective as many Muslims still live in abject poverty since they do not feel the impact of the distributions of zakāt by Muslim groups. This paper is thereby designed to root out the factors inhibiting the proper functioning of zakāt management in the Southwestern Nigeria with the hope of putting forward appropriate solutions. The paper adopts a descriptive method where interview was used majorly to collect data from poor Muslims and the Muslim organizations that are involved in zakāt collection and distribution. Findings revealed that zakat institutions in the southwestern Nigeria have not achieved the aim of eradicating poverty among Muslim simply because, it is very difficult for the Muslim organizations to determine the rate of Nisāb of the wealthy individual that is due for the payment of zakāt since it is not managed by the government. This brings about the problem of insufficiency in the annual zakāt funds at the disposal of the groups. The paper recommends some of the things needed for the government to establish a ministry headed by the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) that will manage the collection and distribution of zakāt in order to take care of the poor, needy, and those put by the Qur’an under the beneficiaries of zakāt.
Keywords: Zakāt, zakāt management, humanity, Islam, man.
About the Author
Dr Adigun Wasilat Fayokemi is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Arts Education (Islamic Studies Unit), School of Multidisciplinary Studies, Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti, Nigeria. She started her career at the defunct College of Education, Ikere Ekiti as an Instructor at the School of Languages after emerging as the best NCE graduating student of the School in 1994. She received her Bachelor of Arts Education in Islamic Studies from Lagos State University, Ojoo, Nigeria. She later proceeded to University of Ibadan where she obtained her Masters of Arts in Islamic Studies and Ph.D from the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan. She has been actively involved in research, teaching and training on Islamic Studies and Religious/Moral Education. Her research interests are in the area of Islamic Education, Theology, Gender Studies, Ethics, Morality and Contemporary Studies. She served as the Head of Department of Islamic Studies in 2018 until 2020 and was part of the teaching team for training programs organized by Center for Research and Development (CERAD) of BOUESTI. She has conducted research and published articles in various areas of Islamic Studies and contemporary studies in both local and international journals. She is a member of the National Association for the Study of Religions and Education (NASRED); Nigeria Association of Arabic and Islamic Studies (NATAIS); Nigeria Associations of Female Teachers of Arabic and Islamic Studies (NAFTAIS); Professional Muslim Sisters Association of Nigeria (PMSAN); International Council for Education, Research and Training (ICERT), and others. She received Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Global Educator Award-2022 for excellence in education, social welfare and contribution to education fraternity & society during the Indo-Global Education Summit (IGES-2022) on “Recent Transformations in Education, Health, Management, and Research” organized by International Council for Education, Research and Training (ICERT).
Impact Statement
akāt management system is described in this article as an act of compassion and solidarity with those who are less fortunate. The proper management of it is very crucial for ensuring that it reaches those who are in need. However, despite its importance, zakāt management institutions in the southwestern Nigeria have not achieved the aim of eradicating poverty among Muslim simply because, it is very difficult for the Muslim organizations to determine the rate of Nisāb of the wealthy individual that is due for the payment of zakāt since it is not managed by the government. This brings about the problem of insufficiency in the annual zakāt funds at the disposal of the groups. This research found out that transparency, sufficient financial resources, accountability, availability of expertise to manage zakat collection and distribution are strategies to root out the factors inhibiting the proper functioning of zakat management in the South western Nigeria. The research offers valuable insights for educators, policymakers, religious organizations, and individuals in the mainstreaming social justice in public life
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-6060-1284
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