The Sultan of Selangor warns that misconceptions about zero hardcore poverty could reduce zakat contributions from the public.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, has expressed concern that zakat contributors might assume there are no longer any poor and needy groups in the state, which could affect zakat collection.
In a Facebook post by Selangor Royal Office, His Royal Highness emphasised that new cases of poverty continue to emerge in Selangor, with about 14,000 families categorised as poor and needy based on data from Lembaga Zakat Selangor (Zakat Selangor) last year.
“Therefore, His Royal Highness does not want any party to misunderstand or be confused by claims that there is no longer hardcore poverty in Selangor, when in fact there are still zakat recipients categorised as poor and asnaf.
“The determination of asnaf status by Zakat Selangor is based on the ‘had kifayah’ calculation,” read the post.
According to the post, the increase in the number of new asnaf was driven by proactive efforts by Zakat Selangor in strengthening assessment processes, detection and expanding outreach to eligible families.
Meanwhile, it said more than 2,800 poor and needy families have successfully moved out of the cycle of poverty through continuous intervention programmes implemented.
In the post, Sultan Sharafuddin also expressed satisfaction with the performance of Zakat Selangor, which recorded zakat distribution of RM1.33 billion last year, with more than 60 per cent channelled to the poor and needy involving over 75,000 families across the state.
“His Royal Highness hopes that zakat distribution will continue to focus on basic assistance such as monthly financial aid, food, housing and educational support.
“His Royal Highness also hopes that Zakat Selangor will continue to carry out the trust of zakat collection and distribution responsibly, transparently and with integrity in accordance with Islamic principles.”
