By Izzud deen Redzuan
You know that zakat or charity, is the Third Pillar of Islam. Being charitable and providing for the needy are important features of the Muslim character.
Why is charity so important?
The existence of countless starving, poor, hungry and penniless Muslims and non-Muslims in the world points to the need for this essential teaching to be put into practice. Rich Muslims may not realise how their wealth could strengthen the ummah.
Giving charity correctly is crucial to both the well-being of the needy as well as the ultimate happiness of the wealthy. The Prophet emphasised this principle repeatedly throughout his lifetime.
In Islam, these charity practice has been emphasised in many different ways and in different sectors. In the business industry, these charitable accounts can be seen through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) yearly programmes with clear goals to help the needy.
Today, major organisations throughout the world now realised that CSR is an important aspect of a company’s operations because of its positive impact on society which in turn impacts positively on the organisations and staff.
The importance of CSR in business organisations as well as in financial institutions has accelerated the significance of Islamic banks. As with Islamic financial institutions all over the world, Islamic banks in Malaysia are also being engaged in various social activities as a part of their responsibility.
Factors like social awareness and regulatory requirements, have driven banks to go for social activities. Banks all over the world, in developed as well as in developing countries, are adopting various social activities for social sustainable developments that benefit a portion of the society. A good example is Maybank Islamic Berhad.
On 2 August 2015, Maybank Islamic successfully conducted their much awaited cycling event called ‘Cycle Save a Child’s Heart 2.0’ in Ipoh, Perak following the success of its inaugural event last year at Putrajaya, which raised RM 100,000 boosting its RM2.55 million account.
It was held held in collaboration with the National Heart Institute (IJN), which targeted to raise funds for paediatric patients not only in Malaysia but also for underprivileged families across the ASEAN countries especially where the Maybank Group operates.
Working with their employees and IJN members,the local community and society, Maybank Islamic not only was able to upgrade the patients’ living standards but also to educate and promote a healthy lifestyle to the public while enhancing the spirit of charity among them.
In line with the normative principle of sharing and caring society in the Islamic context, it becomes a social responsibility on the part of Maybank Islamic to shoulder that responsibility along with personal interest.
The Chairman of Maybank Islamic, Dato’ Seri Ismail Shahudin said, “Maybank Islamic’s cycling series will further cement the bank’s commitment to have a sustainable programme through a noble cause and instil the spirit of charity while promoting a healthy living though sporting activities such as cycling.”
The aim of Islamic economic is not only the elimination of interest-based transaction and the introduction of the Zakah system but also the establishment of a just and balanced social order free from all kinds of exploitation. The importance of such social participation not only hold in feeling responsible towards the society but also to gain sympathy and respect from them.
To-date, RM1 million has been utilised by IJN to help 42 Malaysian children and seven international patients and by the end of 2016, a total of 58 beneficiaries are expected to receive medical help through this collaboration.***