OPTIMIZING ZAKAT DISTRIBUTION IN SELANGOR USING TECHNOLOGY

Zakat is the third pillar of Islam which is obligatory payment that shall be made by every eligible Muslim to the legal recipients of stated in Quran. Today, for zakat management, a number of institutions have been developed to ensure that that the zakat achieves its socio-economic objectives. The management of zakat encompasses collecting, organizing and distributing Zakat funds. This study aims to evaluate using the case of Selangor, the use of technology particularly for zakat distribution and to identify the technological opportunities in enhancing zakat distribution process. The study uses a qualitative approach, gathering primary data from a questionnaire survey distributed to the Asnaf communities in Selangor while the secondary data is gathered from sources like journal articles. The findings of this research reveal that the technological enhancements that are pertinent for zakat distribution are Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Financial Technology (FinTech). It is anticipated that the findings of this research will assist Lembaga Zakat Selangor in deploying technological enhancements in this regard.