Utilizing Zakat Money For 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 main priorities of today is the education of young Muslims, in order to preserve and develop their Islamic identity and self-awareness. This paper attempts to study how do Zakat contributes to develop the madrasah education and to show how it is a valuable way to help Islamic education in Bangladesh. This paper will address basically the following questions: 1) How do Madrasah manage their finance, income, and expenditures? 2) How do Madrasah compare with secular schools? 3) Are Madrasah students eligible for food-for-education, textbook, and scholarship stipend programs? This paper will also study the potential effects of Zakat implementation within the context of contemporary society in developing Madrasah education. Finally, it will come out a few suggestions and recommendations for future development