Talking about what "the metaverse" is a bit like discussing what "the internet" meant in the 1970s. The term describes the concept of a future iteration of the internet, made up of persistent, shared, 3D virtual spaces linked into a perceived virtual universe. Thus, philantrophists see the presence of this new world as an opportunity.
Arifin Purwakananta, as the Deputy of Collection Department in BAZNAS, explained that BAZNAS already has a digital technology paradigm as a tool for the zakat movement campaign. Due to the digital technology utilization, zakat collection continues to increase. He also saw a great opportunity in the zakat progression through the metaverse realm in the future.
BAZNAS has started the development of the zakat metaverse since January 2022. According to Arifin, BAZNAS will launch this zakat metaverse in stages at the end of January or early February by launching a zakat metaverse counter. “The functions of the counter are to introduce zakat, serve the public about zakat information, and also encourage people to pay zakat through a virtual world called metaverse," said Arifin to Republika.co.id recently.
The subsequent development is a tool for receiving donations through the metaverse, which is expected to be popular in the next few years or maybe sooner than that. "Today, BAZNAS has collaborated with partners to develop this zakat metaverse so that it is expected to be the first zakat institution in the world to use metaverse technology for the development of zakat services," Arifin said.
Chairman of the Zakat Forum (FOZ), Bambang Suherman, revealed there would be many zakat institutions that will use the metaverse to further develop the zakat process. According to him, zakat institutions inevitably have to adapt to changes in community activities, especially in technology.
Bambang added that metaverse had not become a popular study in public, including in the world of zakat. However, this digital world allows humans to interact and transact, thus opening up opportunities for the development of zakat itself.
Sources:
https://www.republika.co.id/berita/r6qi8a483/dunia-zakat-rambah-metaverse
Image Source:
Rep: Puskas BAZNAS