The centre’s zakat collection increased by 28% compared to the previous year, while overall zakat collection increased by 12%

by SHAFIQQUL ALIF / pic credit: zakat.com.my

THE Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council Zakat Collection Centre (PPZ-MAIWP) has allocated RM1.11 billion to help needy people around Kuala Lumpur.

Its acting CEO Mohd Nizam Yahya said the allocation was the largest that had been approved since the establishment of the agency and that they expected there will be no moratorium this year.

“This is why for the first time in the history of the establishment of MAIWP, we approved a very large allocation and from the RM1.11 billion, RM900 million will be distributed to people in need in the Federal Territory,” he said after McDonald’s Malaysia handed over its business zakat amounting to RM500,000 to PPZ-MAIWP recently.

The amount was the highest since the five years that the company has been paying zakat.

McDonald’s Malaysia human resources VP and chairman of the Internal Halal Committee Azhar Darbi said the zakat payment was one of the company’s initiatives to give back to the community, which was among its core values.

For the zakat handover, PPZ-MAIWP presented McDonald’s Malaysia with the Business Zakat Payer Certificate.

“It is hoped that with the certificates that will be displayed in our restaurant, the community’s confidence in our company will remain intact.

“We always strive to contribute to the community where we operate. We hope the contribution will ease the burden of these families,” he said.

McDonald’s Malaysia also handed over wakalah donations in the form of McDonald’s “sustenance boxes” and duit raya to 50 asnaf families around Danau Kota, Kuala Lumpur, through the McDonald’s Asnaf Community Pilgrimage Programme.

Meanwhile, PPZ-MAIWP CEO Abdul Hakim Amir Osman congratulated McDonald’s Malaysia for being an example to other companies.

“We are confident that McDonald’s Malaysia can influence more companies out there to pay business zakat as well as help improve the asnaf economy,” he said, adding that PPZ-MAIWP had collected business zakat for the first three months of 2022.

PPZ-MAIWP’s zakat collection increased by 28% to RM22 million compared to RM17.12 million the previous year while overall zakat collection increased by 12% or RM163 million in 2022 compared to RM145 million the previous year.