The role of zakat management institutions in the actualization of social well-being in Sri Lanka : a critical study from the perspective of fiqh of Muslim minorities

Abstract

The zakat, as an Islamic worship (al-ibadah) obligation, has been practiced for several decades in an institutionalized form among Muslim minority communities in Sri Lanka. It is estimated that more than a hundred regional voluntary zakat institutions are currently functioning across the island. Zakat institutions contributed to some improvements in the socio-economic conditions of individuals within the Muslim communities. However, empirical research suggests that the institutionalized practices of such zakat institutions have not improved the socio-economic well-being of the Muslim communities of Sri Lanka at the expected level. This research examines the challenges such institutions face and the root causes of their underperformance in fully realizing the broader objectives of zakat in the Sri Lankan pluralistic context. This study employs qualitative methodology and thematic content analysis methods to analyze the data. The data is collected from primary sources such as official documents and interviews. The findings of this study suggest that three main challenges contribute to the inefficiency of the zakat institutions in Sri Lanka. They are structural issues, jurisprudential calamities, and external factors. To overcome these challenges, this study proposes an alternative methodology based on the fiqh of Muslim minorities that has the potential to remedy all three challenges of the zakat institutions sensibly. To achieve the intended objectives of zakat, the management of regional zakat institutions must adopt a series of structural changes that are relevant to the modern socio-economic and political context of Sri Lanka. The changes include forming a national zakat consultative body and coordinating among scattered regional zakat institutions. This study also suggests that the zakat institutions must thoroughly re-evaluate their existing zakat practices. This study contributes to a growing scholarly debate revolving around the implementation of zakat in the Muslim minority context and provides potential frameworks for policymakers, executive members in zakat institutions, and scholars involved in zakat activities to plan for and administer Sri Lankan zakat institutions effectively.