Baznas: Zakat Serves as Social Safety Net Amid Inflationary Pressures

Rising fuel prices that fuel inflation in the basic necessities sector directly hit the purchasing power of the people, especially mustahik groups (zakat recipients) and citizens on the poor vulnerable line. The real impact is a significant escalation in requests for assistance to zakat management institutions. Vice Chairman of the National Zakat Agency (Baznas) RI, KH Zainut Tauhid Sa’adi, revealed that the highest appeals generally centre on three crucial sectors. First, direct food aid to maintain the daily food security of the family. Second, education and public health are vulnerable, with people beginning to have trouble paying for school or medical expenses that are not covered by health insurance. Thirdly, microenterprise capital, where many small businesses have seen their capital eroded due to the increase in raw material prices, so they need an injection of emergency funds so that their efforts do not collapse. Kiai Zainut stated that ZIS is not just an instrument of ritual worship, but a pillar of the sharia economy that serves as a highly responsive social safety net. He explained that Baznas has two schemes for distributing ZIS. First, consumptive (short-term) channelling serves as a fire engine to meet basic needs (food, health) quickly so that vulnerable people do not fall into a deeper abyss of poverty. Second, productive (long-term) distribution transforms ZIS funds into working capital, business support, and means of production in order to build people’s economic independence. “Indeed, through ZIS, wealth from the muzakki (zakat givers) flows directly into the real sectors of the lower society, thus keeping the money circulation flowing at the grassroots level and preventing economic stagnation,” said Kiai Zainut. Facing increasing economic challenges, zakat management institutions such as Baznas continue to transform and innovate programmes. Kiai Zainut said that among Baznas’s work is fast-track digitisation and responsive amil, optimising digital-based aid submission systems and strengthening emergency response teams to cut red tape so that emergency food or health assistance can be delivered in a matter of hours. Furthermore, strengthening Community-Based Microfinance to develop and expand the network of micro-units to provide interest-free access to capital (qardhul hasan) for small traders in order to free them from the lurch of loan sharks. He added that there is a Sustainable Food Security programme which not only distributes groceries, but also builds local food ecosystems such as food barn programmes and the empowerment of ranchers or trained farmers so that the supply of basic necessities for mustahik can be met independently and at a more stable price. Baznas also carries out data integration and institutional synergies, synchronising poverty data so that aid distribution is on target and collaborating closely with various parties (government, private, and Islamic institutions) to create integrated and non-overlapping poverty alleviation programmes. “Zakat, infak, and alms are solutive instruments that are very relevant in addressing the inflation challenge,” Kiai Zainut said. In the midst of the current economic pressure, Kiai Zainut affirmed that Baznas is committed to continue standing at the forefront as a bridge of concern for the people in order to safeguard the dignity and economic resilience of vulnerable communities.