Monthly commitment not a hindrance to pay tithe

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 16 (Bernama) --The monthly commitment is not a hindrance for Muslims to pay tithe, which is one of the basic norms of Islamic practice in the Pillars of Islam.

Senior Syariah and International Manager of the Zakat Collection Centre of the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (PPZ-MAIWP) Ahmad Husni Abd Rahman said the monthly and daily commitments vary between needs and wants.

It also changes according to an individual’s income and earnings, he added.

"That's why it's necessary to make calculations first. We check, count and assess, and then only can we know the eligibility and amount of tithe to pay.

"If we spend according to our heart's desire, there will indeed be many commitments that need to be paid off and sometimes not all of the expenses are necessary. That's why we need to put aside the amount for tithe first,” he said in an interview on the 'Consequences of Paying Tithe' through Google Meet.

Ahmad Husni said the calculation of zakat also differs according to the needs of an area, for example, in Kuala Lumpur, the needs and commitments of an individual are relatively high compared with those staying in other places.

“That's why we advise that tithe payment should not be made according to one’s own liking, but to calculate first and discuss with the authority.

“This is because of several considerations given to the payer to pay tithe," he said.

On tithe payments made to the eight categories of recipients, namely fakir; miskin; amil; muallaf; Al-Riqab; Al- Gharimin; Fisabilillah and Ibnu Sabil, Ahmad Husni said relatively, it is not the best method to pay tithe.

According to him, based on the “Kitab Kifayatul Akhyar”, if the authority has established a collection mechanism, there is a view that says the tithe payer cannot make the payment personally to the recipients in the eight categories because it would contradict the instructions or system made by the government.

"Secondly, based on the Syafie Sect, it is feared that there will be a mistake in giving the tithe because not everyone can be assessed accurately and if the practice of paying the tithe is wrong, it is invalid," he said.

However, Ahmad Husni said he personally believes that it is permissible for individuals to pay tithe directly to the asnaf, especially to family members and relatives who are in the category.

He said PPZ-MAIWP offers the Wakalah Scheme to help payers redistribute their tithe payment to the asnaf through a more systematic method.

 "There is a greater benefit if the tithe payment is made at the tithe collection centres because the benefits can be enjoyed by more people.

"At PPZ-MAIWP, we have the Wakalah Scheme where a certain amount of money is given back to the payers for them to distribute themselves, but there are systems and rules to follow," he added.

He said Wakalah is the policy of returning the tithe money by MAIWP to entities that pay zakat to PPZ-MAIWP to be distributed to eligible asnaf.

Last Nov 26, PPZ-MAIWP launched the 2022 Year End Zakat (YEZ) campaign aimed at encouraging the public to pay up their tithe by Dec 31, which would enable them to enjoy income tax rebates and the opportunity to win than 500 attractive prizes.

-- BERNAMA