Islamic Charity Research Articles

UNDERSTANDING OF SIGNIFICANCE OF ZAKAT (ISLAMIC CHARITY) FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING

The act of worship in Islam is a form of submission and a Muslim’s manifestation of servitude to Allah SWT. Yet, it also offers certain rewards and benefits to human psychology. The purpose of this article is to explain how Zakat (Islamic charity), or the giving of alms to the poor or those in need, can help improve one’s psychological well-being. The study found that sincerity and understanding the wisdom of Zakat are the two important elements for improving psychological well-being among Muslim believers. This is because Zakat can foster many positive attitudes such sincerity, compassion, and gratitude. Moreover, Zakat can also prevent negative traits like greed, arrogance, and selfishness. Therefore, Zakat, performed with sincerity and philosophical understanding can be used as a form treatment for neurosis patients. It is hoped that this article can serve as a guideline for psychologists and counsellors in how to treat Muslim neurosis patients.

Islamic Charity and Royal NGOs in Jordan: The Role of Monarchial Institutions in its Balancing Act

Islamic Charity and Royal NGOs in Jordan: The Role of Monarchial Institutions in its Balancing Act

Giving to God: Islamic Charity in Revolutionary Times. By Amira Mittermaier

Giving to God: Islamic Charity in Revolutionary Times. By Amira Mittermaier

EXAMINING THE OUTREACH OF ISLAMIC CHARITY BASED MICROFINANCE PROGRAMS: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM INDONESIA

One of the advantages of using Islamic social funds is the increased ability of microfinance institutions to provide financial services to the poor. This study aims to (1) investigates the characteristics of the clients of the Islamic Charity Based Microfinance (ICBM) program; (2) test whether the clients ICBM program are more vulnerable than the non clients group (3) discuss the rationale of why poor excluded from the zakat based microfinance program. The study was conducted in the microfinance program at zakat institutions namely Baitul Maal Muamalat (BMMI), BAZNAS, and Baitul Maal Beringharjo (BMB). A total of 236 respondents including clients and non-clients of three case study institutions were participated in this study. The data is analyzed using binomial logit model to evaluate factors affecting clients participation in ICBM programs in Indonesia. The findings show that clients and non-clients of ICBM have a similar demographic profile and the majority ICBM clients live above the national poverty line, yet they live perilously close to the edge of the poverty line. Using logistic regression, this study found that the higher the client’s income level, the higher the probability of their being selected in the program. This findings contradict with the existing Islamic microfinance literature that claim ICBM institutions in general could demonstrate a capacity to extend their services more widely to the poorest if Islamic charity is the main source of microfinance funding. This study suggests some possible barriers to include the poor in the microfinance including institutional selection policy and self exclusion factors.

Accelerating Islamic charities in Indonesia: zakat, sedekah and the immediacy of social media

ABSTRACTThe article describes the latest developments of Islamic charities and their role as major non-state actors in Indonesia's field of social welfare. It considers debates about the practices of Islamic charity in colonial and post-colonial times when zakat (obligatory almsgiving) was conceptualized as social welfare and as a tool for social justice or as an instrument to implement the post-colonial state's development goals. We examine the contemporary popularity of sedekah (voluntary almsgiving) among Indonesian middle-class Muslims and the rise of Islamic charities that specialize in sedekah programmes. These charities use social media to document their activities and to raise funds, and have changed the discourse of almsgiving. We argue that the temporal logic of acceleration increasingly informs the field of social welfare in Indonesia today. Islamic charities display their efficiency, transparency, and the material rewards that sedekah practices bring to donors. Today, Islamic charity is no longer primarily associated with social welfare and social justice but increasingly with economic gain. Accordingly, charities are concerned with accelerating their aid and its mediation, emphasizing immediacy in order to appeal to donors who demand a quick, unbureaucratic conversion of donations into concrete help, and an immediate material and spiritual return on their ‘investment’.

Islamic Charitable Giving in the UK: A ‘Radical’ Economic Alternative?

ABSTRACT Muslim financial actions have faced increased scrutiny as financial links to ‘terrorism’ have risen in political rhetoric with anything labelled as ‘Islamic’ being perceived to be in requirement of study in terms of its relation to ‘fundamental British values’ (Kundnani, A., 2014. The Muslims Are Coming! Islamaphobia, Extremism, and the Domestic War on Terror. London: Verso.). Exploring Muslim charitable giving in the UK, it will be posited that much of Islamic charitable practices sustains a relationship with neoliberalism without being entirely reduced to it. The post-9/11 environment ‘has led to renewed scholarly interest in the relationship between the economy and Islam and more specifically the incorporation of Islamic value in daily economic life’ (Rethel, L., 2019. Corporate Islam, Global Capitalism and the Performance of Economic Moralities. New Political Economy, 24 (3), 350–364, 2). Islamic charitable practices potentially offer a resistance to the inegalitarian effects of neoliberalism whilst simultaneously being both a part, and a consequence of, neoliberal dominance. Moreover, Islamic charity in the UK acts as an expression of the Muslim community against a backdrop of security and surveillance. Thus, while potentially offering a ‘radical’ alternative to neoliberalism it is a non-violent and non-conflictual alternative.

PENGARUH ZAKAT PRODUKTIF BAZNAS KOTA MEDAN TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN USAHA DAN KESEJAHTERAAN MUSTAHIK DI KECAMATAN MEDAN TIMUR

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Zakat, Infaq and Productive Sadaqah on the growth of micro enterprises and mustahiq welfare in Medan City, and also to determine the effect of the growth of micro mustahiq businesses on mustahiq welfare in Medan City. This study belongs to the explanatory or confirmatory research category, which is to get an explanation of the relationships between variables. The object to be investigated / analyzed is the variable productive Islamic charity (ZIS) with micro-business variables and welfare variables mustahik on the Medan BAZDA. This research is a quantitative research that uses an analysis of the SPSS approach. The results showed that Zakat, Infaq and Productive Sadaqah had an effect on the growth of mustahiq micro enterprises in Medan City, whereas Zakat, Infaq and Productive Sadaqah did not affect the welfare of mustahiq in Medan City. The potential of ZIS in Medan City is actually quite large, if they distribute their zakat through the BAZNAS in Medan City, a larger fund will be collected for the benefit of the ummah.

PENGARUH ZAKAT PRODUKTIF BAZNAS KOTA MEDAN TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN USAHA DAN KESEJAHTERAAN MUSTAHIK DI KECAMATAN MEDAN TIMUR

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Zakat, Infaq and Productive Sadaqah on the growth of micro enterprises and mustahiq welfare in Medan City, and also to determine the effect of the growth of micro mustahiq businesses on mustahiq welfare in Medan City. This study belongs to the explanatory or confirmatory research category, which is to get an explanation of the relationships between variables. The object to be investigated / analyzed is the variable productive Islamic charity (ZIS) with micro-business variables and welfare variables mustahik on the Medan BAZDA. This research is a quantitative research that uses an analysis of the SPSS approach. The results showed that Zakat, Infaq and Productive Sadaqah had an effect on the growth of mustahiq micro enterprises in Medan City, whereas Zakat, Infaq and Productive Sadaqah did not affect the welfare of mustahiq in Medan City. The potential of ZIS in Medan City is actually quite large, if they distribute their zakat through the BAZNAS in Medan City, a larger fund will be collected for the benefit of the ummah.

Giving to God: Islamic Charity in Revolutionary Times by Amira Mittermaier

Giving to God: Islamic Charity in Revolutionary Times by Amira Mittermaier

Ethical Governance: Insight from the Islamic Perspective and an Empirical Enquiry

Charity governance is undergoing a crisis of confidence. In this paper, we suggest an alternative approach to how governance could be perceived and conceptualized by considering the ethical notions of governance embedded in religious enquiry, with a specific focus on the Islamic perspective of governance. We firstly develop an ethical framework for charity governance, utilizing insight from the Islamic perspective. Secondly, we undertake an empirical study to assess the experience of governance within Islamic charity organizations. Our theoretical framework provides a comprehensive approach to viewing organizational governance with an emphasis on governance as a mechanism for working towards social justice and the public good. However, our empirical findings reveal an ‘ethical gap’ between the ideals of the Islamic Ethical Framework and the reality of governance practice within Muslim charity organizations. We consider the implications of these findings and outline avenues for future research.

Between organization and spontaneity of protests: the 2010–2011 Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates the role of social groups in mobilizing resources for protests in repressive contexts. In particular, it examines the impact of organizations and informal groups on individual engagement in the protests developed in 2010 in Tunisia and in 2011 in Egypt. The empirical analysis draws on the following data sources: the second wave of the Arab Barometer (2010–2011), two focus groups in Egypt conducted between 2011 and 2015 with members of trade unions and of Popular Committees who had participated in the 2011 protests in Egypt, eight semi-structured interviews conducted in 2017 to workers in Tunisia who had engaged in the 2010–2011 protests, and interviews conducted in January and February 2011 to 100 women in Tunisia within a study tackling police violence against women during the Tunisian uprisings.Findings show that both in Egypt and Tunisia protests were neither spontaneous nor fully organized as formal organizations and informal and spontaneous groups strictly interconnected in sustaining protests. In Egypt, established Islamic charity networks provided the structural basis for Popular Committees to engage in the 2011 protests and the initially spontaneous workers’ groups, institutionalized through the legalization of EFITU, were crucial for national wide protests occurred throughout 2011. In Tunisia, the major trade union UGTT was essential for mobilizing workers in the initial stages of protests but was backed by informal and spontaneous groups of workers during the process of protest diffusion.Results remark that the 2010–2011 Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings were therefore well-grounded on intermediate mobilizing structures capable to survive in the interstices of an authoritarian context. Findings suggest to consider that, in repressive context, spontaneous groups and more established and formal organizations continuously switch from one form to another, overlap, and transform themselves faster than they would do in democratic contexts.

Good Waqf Governance and its Contribution in Sustainable Development

Waqf is an Islamic charity institution which should be able to act as the catalyst for sustainable development, if the institution is systematically and optimally implemented. However, a substantial proportion of total waqf is still lying dormant across the world. The aim of the study is to obtain a better understanding in waqf governance issues. An exploratory research design is carried out on the authority which is responsible for the implementation of waqf governance in Kelantan, a state in Malaysia. The findings showed that legislation and inefficient management are among the possible impeding factors for good governance of waqf.

A Conceptual Framework in Synergizing Waqf Real Estate and Zakat through Strategic Integration for Malaysian Asnaf

Strategic integration in waqf real estate and zakat projects yields sustainable benefits generated by State Islamic Religious Councils (SIRCs) for asnaf development. Among Muslims, asnaf groups have been highlighted in Islam to be eligible to receive zakat funds. There are eight categories of asnaf that represent the basic needs of an individual in Islam. The Islamic philanthropy study takes place theoretically and empirically in many Muslim countries. In Malaysia, the operation of waqf and zakat systems in institutional form has been well developed. However, the potential significant utilization of waqf real estate and zakat fund integration for asnaf development is limited and as yet still untapped. This paper reviews the relevant literature on the integration of waqf and zakat and then developing and proposing a conceptual framework in synergizing waqf real estate and zakat through strategic integration for asnaf development. The paper identifies the appropriate components such as cash waqf, funds from Baitulmal and involvement from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as the elements to strengthen the integration. In cognizance with this study, the government as policymaker, SIRCs, corporate bodies and Islamic charity organizations must collaborate to boost asnaf abilities in many areas.

Receipts and Other Forms of Islamic Charity: Accounting for piety in modern North India

AbstractIslamic almsgiving is on the rise among Muslims in India, as charitable donations by individuals come to supplant landed endowments as the lifeblood of many Islamic associations. Techniques of mass fundraising in India by Islamic revivalist movements such as Deoband facilitated their expansion across the subcontinent. Such fundraising depended on documentary practices such as verification letters, lists of donors, and receipts for donations. This article illustrates how charity receipts and other documents that change hands in ritual Islamic almsgiving are also a key part of new Indian Muslim collective identities. Moral ties as well as money circulate in this Islamic charity economy. Financial documents are Islamic philanthropy's answer to ‘print capitalism’, serving as material rituals of symbolic community across vast distances. Moreover, the use of documents in traditional Islamic almsgiving is also inflecting pious Muslims’ spiritualities. Islamic charity receipts in particular are contributing to the individualization of religiosity among Lucknow Muslims. New modes of accounting (originally intended to ensure financial compliance) also allow Muslim almsgivers to ‘account’ for accrued piety in a perceived spiritual merit economy.

NGOization of Islamic Charity: Claiming Legitimacy in Changing Institutional Contexts

Islamic welfare organizations are currently going through processes of ‘NGOization’. Drawing on qualitative data from Pakistan, Norway and the UK (2012–2015), this article examines how two Islamic welfare organizations which are embedded in Islamic political movements, become ‘Muslim NGOs’. The NGOization of Islamic charity signifies not only a change in organizational structure and legal status, but also more profound changes in organizational discourse and practice, and in the ways the organizations make claims to legitimacy. To claim legitimacy as providers of aid in changing institutional environments, the organizations draw on both religious and professional sources of authority. By analysing the NGOization of Islamic charity, the paper brings out the importance of normative frameworks in shaping organizational legitimacy and sheds light on the continued significance of both moral and transcendental aspects of the discourses, practices and identities of Muslim NGOs.

With faith in development: Organizing transnational Islamic charity

This article examines the different roles religion can play when migrants organize for development. We focus on organizing for development, through transnational Islamic charity, formally and informally, and where religion takes on explicit or implicit roles. By taking Muslim religious practices as starting points, different forms of development engagements are revealed, than if starting with a focus on so-called ‘faith-based organizations’ (FBOs). Whereas religion is often seen instrumentally in development studies, we find that the roles of religion are not only functional, but also substantive and relational. The article draws on qualitative data collected in Norway, Pakistan and the UK.

The racialisation of local heritage

The region of Camden, located on the outskirts of Sydney, is a growing area set to morph from a country town to a thriving suburban district. In 2007, a Sydney Islamic charity sought to build an Islamic school in the region. Local opponents protested the application in ways that expressed contemporary forms of anti-Muslim racisms in Australia. This article pays close attention to the narratives of heritage within these voices of opposition, as a sizeable number of protesters claimed the school would violate the local settler heritage in Camden. In uncovering these discourses, it was evident that a narrative of white peaceful settlement informed the ways locals mobilised local heritage in relation to the school. The racialisation and whiteness of local heritage negated the Aboriginal presence and history in Camden, and provided a template for the maintenance of white colonial hegemony and the construction of many racialised discourses. Further, these racialisations underpinned the popular anti-Muslim sentiment expressed in ways that positioned local heritage as that of national significance.

Taxing Citizens: Socio-legal Constructions of Late Antique Muslim Identity

The regulations pertaining to Islamic charity taxation illuminate underappreciated dimensions of how Muslims defined identity boundaries in late antiquity. To demarcate the contours of a historical process of Muslim identity construction, I analyze Islamic jurisprudential debates about who is and who is not obligated to pay the charity tax. Most late antique and medieval jurists made the charity tax incumbent on minors or others lacking full legal capacity, even though these groups were exempt from “for-thedivine” practices. I suggest Muslim citizenship as a framework for understanding late antique Muslim identity. Because charity tax liability had socio-political and economic implications, it functioned simultaneously as a gate into and out of a Muslim community. This article contributes to the discourse on Islamic beginnings by exploring the intricacies of Muslim self-conceptions in late antiquity.

Puripetal Force in the Charitable Field

This article sets out to clarify the wide range of relationships between religions and humanitarian traditions as ideological movements, taking Islam as a case study. It postulates that the concept of the “sacred,” which is culturally restricted, is a special case of boundary maintenance or “purism.” Metaphorically, “puripetal force” is defined as a tendency common to all ideological systems, a resistance to social entropy or anomie. The importance of purity in Islamic doctrine is well attested, but within that wider sphere we may identify the specially puritan version of Islam known as Wahhabi-Salafism. As for humanitarianism and philanthropy, these occupy in the West a “space” protected by special laws and conceived of as untainted by either politics or economics. Within the wider sphere of humanitarianism we may locate a more concentrated form in Dunantism, which has underpinned the world view and habitus of the International Committee of the Red Cross. This article outlines how the policies and programs of various Islamic charity and welfare organizations—originating in Britain, Indonesia, and Saudi-Arabia—interact differentially with on the one hand Islamic doctrines and on the other hand humanitarian traditions. Finally, it is suggested that this explanatory model could equally be applied to Christian and other religious traditions, with the concluding thought that the common ground between the institutions of international humanitarianism and religion is currently expanding.

Transnational Islamic charity as everyday rituals

In this article, through a case study of transnational Islamic charity, we explore the intersection between migrant development engagements and religious practices. While migrant engagement in development is well known, the intersections of these with everyday religious practices are less so. We use the prism of ‘everyday rituals', understood as human actions that connect ideals with practices. Everyday rituals not only express but also reinforce ideals, in this case those of Islamic charity in a context of sustained migrant transnationalism. The article draws on 35 interviews about Islamic charity, transnationalism and development with practising Muslims of Pakistani origin in Oslo, Norway. We argue that everyday rituals are a useful tool for exploring the role of religion in motivating migrant development engagements. This is because they include transcendental perspectives, bridge ideals and practices that connect the contemporary to the hereafter, encompass transnational perspectives, and are attentive to the ‘here’ and ‘there’ spatially in migrants’ lives.