Kuala terengganu: The Terengganu Zakat Festival (FEZAKAT) 2025, organized by the Terengganu Islamic Religion and Malay Customs Council (MAIDAM), aims to make zakat services more accessible to the public in a friendly and open setting. Held at Kuala Terengganu City Centre (KTCC) Mall from yesterday until December 31, the festival offers easier zakat payments alongside advisory services, zakat assessments, and family-friendly activities.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, MAIDAM chief executive officer, Associate Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Azrin Adnan, stated that the festival includes family activities to enhance understanding of zakat. He mentioned that the festival offers zakat payers in Terengganu another option for in-person payment, alongside online methods, making it easier for the public to carry out zakat assessments. Additionally, the festival provides an opportunity for the community to learn about various types of zakat, including business, income, mineral, and crop, thereby enhancing public knowledge.
Ahmad Azrin highlighted that the festival also introduces young people to zakat through educational programs, such as a coloring contest. These outreach programs aim to ensure that the people in Terengganu, especially children, understand the importance of zakat from a young age, while also strengthening MAIDAM's ties with the public. He urged Muslims in Terengganu to pay their zakat by December 31 to fulfill their obligation to Allah SWT, noting that zakat payers are eligible for a 100 percent tax rebate for payments made from December 26 to 31, 2025.
Ahmad Azrin expressed gratitude that some former zakat recipients have become payers this year. He noted that at least three former zakat recipients attended FEZAKAT this year as payers. Unofficial records indicate that Terengganu now has around 29,500 poor and needy asnaf (tithe recipients), a three percent decrease from last year. This decrease suggests that some individuals have increased their household income and are no longer classified as poor and needy asnaf. Ahmad Azrin regarded this as a success for MAIDAM, emphasizing their continued efforts to see more asnaf transition from zakat recipients to payers.