STRENGTHENING INCOME ZAKAT COLLECTION THROUGH ISLAMIC LEGAL COMMUNICATION IN LEMBAGA ZAKAT NEGERI KEDAH

This research analyzed how the 1986 Fatwa on Income Zakat serves as the legal basis for the Kedah State Zakat Institution (LZNK) to formulate a communication strategy that promotes compliance to zakat giving. It also analyzed the ways this fatwa functions as a source of Islamic legal legitimacy through institutional communication that integrates traditional and digital methods to enhance understanding and trust of the public. For this study, qualitative methods were selected, and the sample included five officers of LZNK and seven zakat givers, as well as secondary data from institutional zakat collection reports for the years 2019 to 2024. Data for analysis in NVivo 8 were framed and analyzed using the Legal Communication Theory and Diffusion of Innovations Theory. The research shows that inconsistent communicative silence, especially during the period of collection and the issuing of the fatwa, contributes to the erosion of public trust and voluntary compliance to the income zakat obligation. This indicates that zakat institutions ‘communication attempts’ grounded on Islamic legal principles, can greatly help in reducing the gap between potential zakat and actual zakat collected, as well as improve the zakat institution’s Sharia credibility.