ERADICATING HARDCORE POVERTYVIA ZAKAT DISTRIBUTION: A CASE STUDYAMONG POORAND NEEDY ASNAFS IN SIK, KEDAH

Hardcore poverty is a problem that still plagues the community in this country. Although various efforts have been implemented by the Malaysian Government to overcome it, but until now these efforts havent succeeded in achieving the goals that have been set before. Zakat is a social and economic system that its implementation is controlled by the government. Through zakat provision, Islam has been ahead of the times in defending the plight of the poor and needy asnafs. In 2021, Kedah State Zakat Board (LZNK) has reported on the problem of the increasing number of poor and needy asnafs as well as insufficient zakat distribution in Kedah. Thus, this study was conducted to analyse the forms of zakat distribution that can eradicate hardcore poverty among the poor and needy asnafsin Sik, Kedah. This study has used a qualitative design, where data is collected through library research and semi-structured interviews with informants from Zakat District Office (PZD)Sik, Kedah. The findings of the study were then analyzed using the content analysis method. The results of the study prove that the LZNK, especially the PZDSik, are still struggling to eliminate the poor and needy asnafs from the cocoon of hardcore poverty in Sik, Kedah. This study urges the parties involved towards improvements in the aspect of zakat distribution so that in the future it can help to eradicate hardcore poverty in line with the efforts of the Malaysian Government and the role of zakat as a social security tool.