UUM B40 STUDENTS RECEIVE ZAKAT

UUM ONLINE: Denizens of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad (BIMB) distributed zakat donations to UUM students in need, at the Auditorium, School of International Studies (SOIS) on Monday.

UUM Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Haim Hilman Abdullah said that UUM presented zakat donations made by the faculty and staff at the university. He too thanked BIMB for its generosity in providing RM50,000 in zakat to students from the B40 group.

"70 percent of UUM students come from low-income backgrounds, I understand the challenges that come with being poor. Life's challenges are meant to teach us to be resilient and to appreciate the value of a hard-won victory. Allah has selected you because Allah is shaping you into exceptional human beings.

"Do not let poverty be an excuse for not succeeding because in the classroom, there are no longer the rich and the poor; everyone has an equal chance of success as long as they put in the necessary effort. Do not throw away your parents' prayers. Always be mindful.

"We want to produce students who are not only academically excellent but also have extraordinary souls and are constantly thinking of the poor. Instil in ourselves the spirit of helping needy people out there," he said at the Bank Islam Zakat Presentation Ceremony to Universiti Utara Malaysia and the Vice-Chancellor's Friendly Meeting with UUM Zakat Recipients for 2022.

According to Prof. Dr. Haim Hilman Abdullah, UUM is committed to ensuring that various programmes to assist students from the B40 group are implemented. He, too, expressed hope that one day these zakat recipients will be able to transform themselves from zakat recipients to zakat givers.

Haim Hilman Abdullah also expressed his eternal gratitude to BIMB for being a major zakat contributor to UUM students. The contribution may alleviate the financial burden that students face while studying at UUM.

From 2018 to 2022, a total of 10,690 asnafs benefited from the Kedah State Zakat Board's zakat distribution assistance, totalling RM2,546,884.17. This sum is the result of the zakat redistribution of UUM staff earnings.

A total of 604 UUM students were each awarded between RM250 and RM400 from zakat contributions totalling RM214,600.