The Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) Baitulmal is seeking out asnaf, the groups entitled to receive zakat (tithe).

The Asnaf Locator Squad works 24 hours a day and can be contacted by calling the hotline numbers 012-5183614, 012-5127614 or the toll-free line 1-800-88-5222.

"These numbers are advertised on 15 RapidKL buses in Kuala Lumpur and 10 Nadi Putra buses in Putrajaya and can be contacted at any time of the day," said the CEO of MAIWP Datuk Zainal Abidin Jaffar.

MAIWP has also displayed the hotline numbers on 300 taxis around the capital city, with the drivers being recipients of the MAIWP taxi deposit.

The whole idea is to enable asnaf around KL who are in dire need of aid to receive help as fast as possible.

"Previously, we tracked down such people by going to the Peoples Housing Projects (PPR) and appointing a leader for every block to seek out asnaf like single mothers, he said.

The hotlines were advertised early this year. As of July, MAIWP had received 2,506 calls from the public on needy asnaf who had yet to receive aid from Baitulmal.

ADS ON BUSES

Zainal Abidin said many of the buses that carry the advertisement of the hotlines enter asnaf hotspots like Chow Kit Road, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Masjid India, where the needy and homeless tend to be found.

He pointed out the information relayed to the Asnaf Locator Squad have resulted in 3,112 people receiving assistance in the form of financial aid or shelter.

The Asnaf Locator Squad is staffed by 80 people working in three shifts to attend to the hotlines 24/7. They will seek out the asnaf as soon as they receive enough information from the public.

"If there is time they will look for the asnaf that same night. If the asnaf is found to be homeless, he/she will be taken to the Baitulmal MAIWP transit home in Sentul that very night, he said

28 AID SCHEMES

Zainal Abidin said MAIWP has been disbursing zakat directly to recipients throughout the year through 28 assistance schemes that cover housing, education and basic necessities, among others.

He said 60,755 asnaf had benefitted from the scheme from June to July alone while in 2015 MAIWP disbursed zakat directly to 211,942 recipients.

Zakat was also disbursed indirectly through the setting up of educational institutions like Institut Kemahiran Baitulmal, Sekolah Menengah Agama MAIWP and shelters like Institusi Perlindungan Darul Kifayah, he added.

For Zainal Abidin, the efforts were testimony of MAIWPs commitment in the proper management of zakat.
MAIWP recently received a sijil bersih tanpa teguran (Clean Audit Certificate) from the National Audit Department for the financial year 2015, making it the 10th year in a row. This proves MAIWP's transparency in the disbursement of zakat, he said.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Monthly zakat recipient Basri Husin, 34, said the aid he received had helped in alleviating the difficulties he
faced due to being partially paralysed.

Basri who suffered from a spinal cord injury in November 2014 said that he learned about the zakat aid from MAIWP through a nurse at the hospital he was admitted in.

"I was at a loss at the time and pressured emotionally and financially. I was pursuing my PhD in Islamic Studies at Universiti Malaya at the time but had to put it on hold, said the father of two.

In addition to a monthly aid of RM500, Basri was also given a home hospital bed and daily needs like adult diapers.

He said MAIWPs move to advertise their hotlines on public transportation was a wise one as it would assist the asnaf who had yet to learn of how to apply for zakat assistance from MAIWP. - BERNAMA