Instead, Ahmed suggests that the concepts of zakah and awqaf should be included in development schemes and poverty reduction strategies. The advantage of such inclusion will be the perpetuation of concepts that are significantly important to all Muslims. It is also likely to trigger a sense of solidarity among citizens, along with providing a structure for targeted charitable work. It will also provide a valuable structure by which to ensure that the goods received by means of zakah and awqaf reach their correct destinies. In this regard, the concepts of zakah and awqaf can be implemented to fund the work of organizations such as Islamic Relief. The concepts can also be integrated with organizations such as the tariqa in order to increase the impact upon poverty relief throughout struggling Muslim countries.
Another important point mentioned by Ahmed (17) is the need for laws and regulations to implement zakah and awqaf. While the concepts are indeed part and parcel of the law of Islam, it is not integrated into politics in terms of legal requirements. Hence, in many cases, the payment of zakah and participation in awqaf are generally non-regulated activities. In some cases where participation does occur, the funding gained is often not channeled towards the correct recipients. In such cases, a global organization such as Islamic Relief can play an important role, together with participation by politicians. In the political arena, regulation can be ensured by means of legal requirements. Zakah can for example be implemented in the same way as the Western revenue system. Organizations such as Islamic Relief can then act as the official receiving body of zakah and awqaf payments, with decision-making depending upon the reachability...
Regulating the dispensation of such efforts is perhaps a good response to the still existing need.
References
Ahmed, Habib. 2004. Role of Zakah and Awqaf in Poverty Alleviation. Occasional Paper No. 8. Islamic Development Bank Group.
Akkas, S.M. Ali. Poverty Alleviation from Islamic Perspective: Lessons from Grassroots Experiments. Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/12878903/Poverty-Alleviation-From-Islamic-Perspective
Alhabshi, Syed Othman. Poverty Eradication from Islamic Perspectives.
Hasan, Zubair. 2006. Sustainable Development form an Islamic Perspective: Meaning, Implications, and Policy Concerns. J.KAU: Islamic Econ., Vol. 19, No. 1, pp 3-18.
Islamic Relief. 2008. Definitions of Poverty. Islamic Relief Worldwide.
Iqbal, Nuzhat. 2000. The Concept of Land Ownership in Islam and Poverty Alleviation in Pakistan. The Pakistan Development Review, Vol. 39, Iss. 4. Retrieved from http://www.pide.org.pk/pdf/PDR/2000/Volume4/649-662.pdf
Linden, Ian. 2004. Christianity, Islam and Poverty Reduction in Africa. School of Oriental & African Studies, London.
Microbanker. 2009. Embracing the Islamic Community-Based Microfinance for Poverty Alleviation. March 20. Retrieved from http://mikrobanker.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/embracing-the-islamic-community-based-microfinance-for-poverty-alleviation/
Muhammed, Shahid Ibrahim. 1997. Review: Development and Finance in Islam and Financing Economic Development: Islamic and Mainstream Approaches. J.KAU: Islamic Econ, Vol. 9, pp. 69-75.
