The Transformation Process For Empowering Asnaf Through Zakat Fund Distribution In The State Of Johor, Malaysia

The Johor Islamic Religious Council (MAINJ) is an official institution that efficiently collects and distributes zakat in the state of Johor. From a Malaysian perspective, the current situation still carries a negative perception among the community towards the zakat institution. Past studies have shown several factors that lead the community to distrust the management and administration of zakat. This perception occurs due to several issues, such as the accumulation of annual zakat surpluses that are not distributed and the prioritisation of certain categories of asnaf that require attention from the zakat institution. Therefore, this study examines the extent to which MAINJ has succeeded in using zakat funds and contributions to implement programs or activities to empower the asnaf group through a transformation process. A qualitative research methodology, utilizing interviews and document analysis, was implemented in this study. The findings indicate that the amount of zakat collection in the state of Johor from 2018 to 2023 has consistently increased, demonstrating the success of zakat collection efforts in this state. Several significant asnaf empowerment programs have also been implemented for asnaf entrepreneurs and are described in this study, in addition to outlining the zakat fund assistance scheme provided by MAINJ. The overall findings of this study have been interpreted using a newly introduced model, namely the IPOM Model (Input-Process-Output-Feedback). Thus, this study aims to broaden public perspectives and improve the general perception of zakat distribution efforts implemented by MAINJ, ultimately reducing negative perceptions of the zakat institution in Malaysia.