Tulungagung, June 19, 2025 — The lawsuit against Law Number 23 of 2011 concerning Zakat Management filed with the Constitutional Court (MK) has again become the public spotlight. Responding to this, the Student Association of the Zakat and Waqf Management Study Program (HMPS) FEBI UIN Sayyid Ali Rahmatullah Tulungagung supported by BAZNAS Tulungagung and Trenggalek Regencies and BAZNAS East Java Province held an academic forum as part of the Zakat and Waqf Literacy Week (PEZWA) event at the Saifudin Zuhri Auditorium on Thursday, June 19, 2025.
The event, which raised strategic issues surrounding zakat law and management, presented two national speakers, namely Prof. Dr. H. Sugianto, S.H., M.H., Professor of Law at UIN Syach Nur Jati Cirebon and Prof. Dr. KH. Ali Maschan Moesa, M.Sc., Chairman of BAZNAS East Java Province. Both agreed that the Zakat Law is still relevant, both constitutionally and from the perspective of Islamic law.
Prof. Sugianto stated that in the Indonesian legal system, zakat has been accommodated as part of positive law that has legitimate legal force. “The lawsuit against the Zakat Law must be studied comprehensively, because the existence of this law is a form of harmonization between national law and Islamic law values,” he said.
Similarly, Prof. KH. Ali Maschan emphasized that zakat is an important instrument in building community welfare. “The Zakat Law is a pillar in the Islamic philanthropy system. If managed properly and accountably, zakat can empower the people widely and fairly,” he explained.
The Head of HMPS MAZAWA, Bayu Pradana, said that this activity was a form of student attention to the dynamics of zakat management policies in Indonesia. “It is important for us students to continue to follow the discourse on zakat management in Indonesia for better zakat management in the future,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Dean of FEBI UIN Sayyid Ali Rahmatullah Tulungagung, Dr. Chusnul Chotimah, M.Ag., emphasized that the campus as an academic space must remain objective. “The campus also speaks out against this lawsuit, but must remain neutral. Whatever the outcome at the Constitutional Court, experts will continue to track from the legal and Islamic sharia perspectives on how to ideally manage zakat in Indonesia,” he said.
The Coordinator of the Zakat and Waqf Management Study Program, in his closing, added that this is the second time the Zakat Law has been challenged, showing how important this law is in the national zakat management system. “The zakat law is the mainstay of zakat management in Indonesia, and zakat itself is an instrument of public welfare through Islamic philanthropic funds that can raise the dignity of the people and create justice in the economy,” he concluded.
This PEZWA event is proof that campuses, students, and experts are working together to oversee the existence of zakat as an integral part of the Islamic socio-economic system in Indonesia.