Persepsi Masyarakat Islam Terhadap Cadangan Perluasan Konsep al-Riqab bagi Pemulihan Pesakit Mental: Satu Tinjauan Awal

Abstract

Islam is a merciful religion that places great emphasis on the welfare of its people in various aspects of life. Furthermore, this is demonstrated by the fourth pillars of Islam; the payment of zakat. Paying zakat is obligatory for all Muslims and will be distributed through the zakat institution to eight special groups of zakat recipients known as asnaf, which include the poor (fakir), the needy (al-masakin), amil, muallaf, al-riqab, al-gharimin, ibn al-sabil, and fi sabilillah. Currently, zakat institutions are facing contemporary jurisprudential issues, especially regarding the issue of expanding the concept of al-riqab according to current needs. In addition, there is a suggestion to expand the concept of al-riqab for the rehabilitation of mentally ill people, which raises questions among the Muslim community about the relevance of the suggestion. This study aims to examine the perception of the Muslim community towards the proposed expansion of the al-riqab concept for the rehabilitation of mentally ill people. This qualitative study uses document analysis and structured interviews as data collection methods. The results of this study showed that the community was divided into two groups in giving their views about this proposal. The respondents who showed their agreement on the view mentioned that it is significant because of the need of financing of treatment cost, while those who showed disagreement said that this proposal is not significant because it does not meet the criteria of al-riqab. Therefore, this study suggests that the zakat institution consider the proposed expansion of the concept of al-riqab for the rehabilitation of mental patients. Future studies need to discuss on the opinions of scholars and experts in the field.