Prof. Dr. Raditya Sukmana, SE, MA delivering his scientific oration in the Garuda Mukti hall, Campus C, UNAIR. (Photo: special)
UNAIR NEWS – Prof. Dr. 481st professor Universitas Airlangga In his inauguration speech, Prof. Raditya conveyed the urgency of managing productive waqf in the Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0 era.
"I realize that this appointment as a professor is a big mandate and responsibility as a lecturer. "Professor is the highest academic position, but that doesn't mean it is the end point of our goals as lecturers," said Prof. Raditya.
"In fact, with this appointment as professor, it is a new challenge related to what we will contribute to the development of science after the inauguration of this professor," added the lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Business UNAIR.
In his scientific oration, Prof. Raditya explained that now waqf has experienced expansion in various sectors, such as waqf to sharia banks, the stock market and takaful. Waqf is not just a "religious institution" that only deals with ritual religious matters, but can become a "socio-economic institution" if its role is optimized.
Waqf can be seen as an instrument to increase social utility after someone who is waqf sacrifices his personal utility. If an asset is donated and the benefits or profits from managing the waqf are used for socio-economic empowerment activities of the community. So waqf management will encourage inclusive economic growth.
Potential and Benefits of Waqf
Prof. Raditya also mentioned the potential for cash waqf in Indonesia. As a country with more than 80% Muslims, Indonesia has great opportunities for prosperity if it implements a sharia economic system through waqf. One example is through cash waqf.
"We have accumulated around two hundred million Islamic communities in Indonesia, one hundred million of whom are economically well off or moderately well off groups. "If one hundred million people donate just one thousand rupiah each month, in a month the waqf we collect will amount to one trillion," explained the lecturer who completed his master's studies in America.
Productive management of waqf can provide various positive impacts, namely the provision of non-fiscal public goods, thereby reducing the government's burden and budget deficit, providing employment opportunities (construction, marketing, information technology, accounting, etc.), charity work for waqifs. The provision of public infrastructure from waqf proceeds will reduce the burden on the government as the infrastructure provider. The benefits of waqf as a means of providing infrastructure such as in the fields of education and health can encourage improvements in the quality of human resources and the quality of life of the community.
The future of waqf
Productive management by seeking added economic value in addition to maintaining the permanence of the principal waqf assets and their benefits is an effort to return the waqf function to khittah .
The management of waqf in the future cannot be separated from the dynamics that occur in society. One of them is the presence of Industry Revolution (IR) 4.0 as an industrial era that prioritizes innovation, decentralization and automation to increase production efficiency and effectiveness.
In the financial sector, the presence of blockchain as one of the innovations in the IR 4.0 era has received quite good reception. Blockchain is a technology that allows storing and tracking data through a digital ledger system distributed on computers throughout the world.
“The use of blockchain in productive waqf management enables increased efficiency and effectiveness of waqf management. "That is, if the wakif and nazhir are connected to one blockchain , then waqf donation transactions can be carried out with a high level of transparency," he said.
Waqf as a philanthropic instrument originating from Islamic law needs to be optimized through productive waqf management with an orientation towards positive impacts on the economic, social and environmental sectors. Not only guided by sharia but also adaptive to technological developments. (*)
Author: Zanna Afia Deswari
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
