Empowered by Design: Mustahik, Productive Zakāt, and the Politics of Staged Empowerment in BAZNAS Maluku, Indonesia

Aisa Manilet (Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta)
Syafiq Mahmadah Hanafi (Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta)
Muhammad Tanthowi (Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta)

Iqtishoduna: Jurnal Ekonomi Islam
Vol. 15 No. 1 (2026): April

The distribution of productive zakāt by BAZNAS Maluku Province reflects an institutional effort to promote the socio-economic transformation of mustahik through an empowerment-oriented approach. This study examines the implementation, outcomes, constraints, and development prospects of productive zakāt programmes at the local level. Employing a qualitative ethnographic approach, data were collected through field observations and in-depth semi-structured interviews with 21 purposively selected informants, including productive zakāt beneficiaries, BAZNAS administrators, and amil across Maluku Province, West Seram, Central Maluku, East Seram, and Ambon City. The findings reveal substantial variation in programme implementation, particularly between regions with established coordination mechanisms and those affected by institutional dysfunction. Empowerment outcomes are likewise uneven: some mustahik achieve business growth and stronger economic capacity, while others remain vulnerable because of weak mentoring, limited market support, and inadequate follow-up evaluation. Programme effectiveness is influenced by community support, the flexibility of field actors, resource availability, and inter-institutional synergy. More importantly, empowerment emerges not as a linear intervention but as a socially negotiated and staged process. Three interconnected phases are identified: awareness, through religious engagement and productive consciousness; capacity building, through training and community-based learning; and power deployment, through access to capital, business facilities, and market networks. This study contributes to the literature by proposing a contextual, replicable staged empowerment model that positions mustahik as active subjects within a locally responsive zakāt ecosystem. It demonstrates that sustainable socio-economic transformation requires not only financial assistance, but also continuous mentoring, institutional coordination, and market-oriented support tailored to beneficiaries’ evolving local economic contexts.