DIMENSI BAHARU STRATEGI KUTIPAN SEDEKAH SEBAGAI ALAT KEWANGAN SOSIAL ISLAM DI ERA DIGITAL

Abstract

The development of Islamic social finance based on the concept of charity and donations has been in full accord with the Muslim community. The concept of assisting without expecting material rewards is not something unfamiliar among Muslims. The charity can help those in need to live a better life. Those who give alms also had been promised to gain benefits and reward in the life hereafter. From an economic standpoint, charity is one of the instruments of redistribution of wealth to social development activities in addition to zakat and waqf (endowment). Back to the days before the digital age, alms were accumulated through the movement of volunteers from house to house, from one location to another, but now the situation has been improved with the introduction of information technology platform. The unwillingness of some people to donate following the increasing crime of fraudulent syndicates through the conventional fundraising movement manipulated by some irresponsible parties has accelerated the need for more secure methods. Therefore, this study aims to analyse the effectiveness of charity as a social Islamic financial instrument in Malaysia through the explosion of information technology in the digital age. The study was conducted using qualitative methods through library research. The result shows that by using the concept of crowdfunding, several websites have been developed and managed specifically for charity. The donated funds can be managed structurally and channelled to charitable organizations or charities as well as to the real beneficiaries. Therefore, seeking for al-falah and barakah through charity is strongly encouraged in Islam.