KUALA LUMPUR: A study on wakaf land will be carried out to identify suitable developments that benefit the people, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"Wakaf is a tradition in Islam started with Prophet Muhammad, with a date farm and the Quba mosque in Madinah.
"This tradition is continued by Muslims, either through construction of wakaf buildings not only mosques, but also education institutions such as the Al-Azhar University," he said in a speech at the launch of the 2023 National Wakaf Month broadcast live on TV AlHijrah's Assalamualaikum programme today.
Wakaf is cash or property donated for religious causes and cannot be sold, transferred or inherited by anyone.
Anwar, who is also finance minister, said companies, especially those owned by the government must find new direction in developing wakaf.
"In tabling the 2023 Budget, I had announced Wakaf Madani to optimise assets valued at RM1 billion, with the commitment of the private sector.
"For that purpose, the government will announce it in detail and steps that should be taken to develop wakaf as a whole, soon," he said, adding that the month-long celebration is in its third year, with this year's theme Membangun Malaysia Madani.
He believes the National Wakaf Month will help enliven Ramadan, a time where the people carry out more good deeds, give donations and wakaf.
Anwar is currently on a three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia until tomorrow, the first outside of Asean since being appointed as the 10th prime minister on Nov 24 last year.
Earlier, Wakaf, Zakat and Haj Department director-general Datuk Selamat Paigo in an interview with programme hosts said four factors needed emphasis to ensure that wakaf contributed 20 per cent of the Islamic social finance sector.
"First, the role of wakaf could be empowered through the involvement of government-linked agencies that contribute funds in wakaf that could be returned to them after a period of time, so as to ensure that a sustainable wakaf fund could be created.
"Second, the government will also strive to create a conducive ecosystem for industry players that is expected to encourage developments on wakaf lands," he said.
Third, he said, the department, as the federal wakaf institute would be further empowered as a professional wakaf managing body and lastly, related agencies must be more proactive and aggressive in promoting and improving public awareness on wakaf.
Meanwhile, Yayasan Waqaf Malaysia (Malaysian Waqaf Foundation) acting chief executive officer Abdul Halim Mat Yusop said wakaf must be viewed from a wider scope that covered all aspects of life, including food, health, education, utilities, transportation and housing.
The foundation in a press statement said cooperation with the states' religious councils had seen 70 per cent of the wakaf lots utilised under the Ninth Malaysia Plan to the 12th Malaysia Plan, followed by the annual national budget.
A total of RM262 million in wakaf cash was collected by the religious councils and foundation from 2020 till last year, an increase of 52 per cent.