MELAKA: The Melaka Islamic Religious Council (Maim) has called on all Muslims in the state to pay tithe only to the Zakat Melaka and not directly to the “asnaf” to avoid uneven distribution.
Maim deputy chairman Datuk Mohd Sofi Abdul Wahab said Muslims cannot distribute tithe directly to the asnaf without going through the entrusted agency because it was against the “fatwa” (ruling) and violating the “syariah” enactment of the state.
“Maim advises all tithe payers in Melaka to fulfil their obligation by paying their tithe to the Zakat Melaka to ensure more comprehensive and systematic distributions,“ he told Bernama here today.
Mohd Sofi said the payment through zakat institution was more comprehensive because it involved eight groups of asnaf compared to the only one or two groups of asnaf if it was made directly to the needy.
He said the eight groups of asnaf who were eligible to receive zakat were “Fakir”, “Miskin”, “Amil”, “Mualaf”, “Al-Riqab”, “Al-Gharimin”, “Fisabiillah” and “Ibnu Sabil”.
“We are also working on improving the tithe payment method to facilitate payment of tithe and to make it customer-friendly,“ he said.
Mohd Sofi said last year, Zakat Melaka had collected RM87.5 million in tithes and distributed RM89.6 million to the recipients. — Bernama
