Zakat Al-Mal: the level of understanding and awareness among Pasir Puteh's Religious Office staff

Zakat is a basic Islamic rule and every Muslim needs to understand and practice it. This study aims to measure the level of understanding and awareness of Zakat Al-Mal among the staff of the Pasir Puteh Religious Office, Kelantan. The background of this study starts from the challenges faced by religious office staff in adapting themselves to Zakat Al-Mal. The main objective of this study is to study and evaluate the level of understanding and awareness of Zakat Al-Mal among the staff of the Pasir Puteh Religious Office and to analyze the extent to which staff carry out the payment of Zakat Al-Mal according to Islamic principles. This qualitative study involves in-depth interviews with 8 respondents who are staff members of the Pasir Puteh Religious Office. The study found that the PAJPP staff have a good understanding and awareness of Zakat Al-Mal, including its obligations. However, their awareness of the role of zakat in the social and economic context needs to be improved, as many see it as a personal obligation without realizing its impact on poverty and social justice. This study suggests further research involving a larger sample from religious offices in other districts to expand the understanding of Zakat Al-Mal, education programs and more effective awareness campaigns in the workplace need to be implemented to increase the understanding of zakat in the social and economic context and encourage its active implementation.