THE CONCEPT OF ZAKAT AND DEVELOPMENT: A CASE OF MADRASAH EDUCATION IN BANGLADESH

Abstract

The payment of Zakat by the owners of wealth is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is acceptable in Islamic law to distribute Zakat to the eight categories listed when and where it is considered to be most needed. One of the top priorities of today is the education of young Muslims to preserve and develop their Islamic identity and self-awareness. This paper studies how Zakat contributes to developing madrasah (Islamic school) education and how it is a valuable way to help Islamic education in Bangladesh. It addresses the following questions: 1) how do madrasah manage their finance, income, and expenditures? 2) what type of the madrasah education system in Bangladesh? 3) are madrasah students eligible for food-for-education, textbook, and scholarship programmes? This paper will also study the potential effects of Zakat implementation within the context of contemporary society in developing madrasah education. Finally, it will offer suggestions and recommendations for future development.