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1. Based on the above newspaper cutting, discuss five (5) evaluation of the case from Islamic
point of view.

[ 10 MARKS]

According to newspaper cutting, the restaurant is required to closed to due hygiene issues in
the place. In fact, it was the second time they had been ordered to close the premise. The restaurant,
which is located on a bustling street and serves a range of local cuisines, is popular with tourists.
Unclean store conditions can be detrimental to customers. Based on the case, there are several
evaluations conducted according to Islamic point of view.

1. Islam's basis is cleanliness.

Aside from the body, Islam urges Muslims to maintain their clothes, homes, and streets clean. In
addition, a Muslim cannot pray while his body, clothes, or surroundings are impure. They are instructed
to utilise pure water that is free of pollutants and contamination There are several verses in the Holy
Quran that emphasise the benefits of hygiene. If a Muslim is unclean, he or she cannot perform prayers.
That is one of the reasons Islam is very concerned about cleanliness.

2. Encourage Muslim to maintain the hygiene in their respective place

Islam encourages people to keep their environments clean for their own health and to obtain access to
people who are healthy and immune to contagious diseases. Individuals who are in good health will be
able to comprehend and worshiping Allah SWT, as well as propagate them throughout the world.
Furthermore, Islam commands Muslims to keep the roadways and streets clean. This is regarded as a
charitable contribution to the removal of pollutants and grime from the streets.

3. Hygiene ensures clean and halal food

It can ensure the hygiene of the food by preserving cleanliness. Halal food can only be served in a clean
environment. This is because utensils, cooking equipment, and hands should all be washed often during
the cooking process, and no objects that have come into contact with illegal or illicit substances should
be used in preparing halal food. According to a hadith narrated by Imam Muslim, it is stated that one
of the prayers that is not accepted by Allah is because the food he consumes is from an illegal source,
his drink is from an illegal source and his garments likewise from an illegal source.
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4. Refrain from wickedness

Aside from external cleanliness, Islam puts a focus on spiritual cleanliness. This signifies that one is
free of polytheism, immorality, and rude behaviour, as well as a desire for prosperity, reputation, and
other sensual wants. In Islam, the emphasis is on the cleanliness of the inner self, which includes the
emotions, thoughts, and spirit. For Muslims themselves, the concept of halal itself can help them to
avoid sinful acts. Being in clean state can refrain a person from doing sinful acts.

5. Food intake affects health (spiritual and physical)

In Quran, Muslim are advised about healthy eating habits and nutrition. The guide is meant to promote
not only physical but also spiritual health in humans. The spiritual and physical aspects of human
development must be balanced. If a person exclusively focuses on diet and nutrition without respect for
his or her commitment to Allah SWT, he or she may become weak due to a lack of faith and an empty
soul. However, if a person is only focused on worship and enslavement to Allah SWT while ignoring
the requirements of the body, the outcome is the same, causing them to be tormented with pain and
weakness, making it difficult to execute Allah SWT demands. As a consequence, it is written in the
Qur'an to strike a balance between the two.

To summarize, taking food is a way for a Muslim to move on with life rather than living to eat.
As a result, good food should be stressed not only in terms of nutrient content, but also in terms of
cleanliness and halal. Cleanliness of a place will surely guarantee the hygiene of the food and the halal
status. Ideally, we should be mindful about the food we eat and follow religious and nutritional
guidelines. Therefore, we must maintain cleanliness in order to maintain the purity of Islam by
practicing cleanliness at home, workplace and eating clean and halal food.

2. Islam encourages Muslims to strive in order to generate higher income in a way that is in
line with Islamic teachings. The higher income, the higher zakat and alms could be given to others.
Does Islam allow Muslim to charge high prices to get maximum profit?

[ 10 MARKS]

Islam do encouraged Muslims to work hard in order to earn more money in a way that is consistent with
Islamic principles. There are many benefits to be gained having a lot of money. In Islam, people are
encouraged to offer alms regardless of the form or value of the alms. This is due to the fact that the
property of those who enjoy giving alms will not be diminished, but rather grown. As a result, Islam
allows its followers to seek money in order to urge people to continue giving alms. The greater one's
income, the greater one's ability to offer zakat and charity to others. In my point on view, I believe Islam
does not allow Muslim to charge high prices to get maximum profit. There are few reasons to support
my opinion.
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1. Risk of engaging in fraud

When a merchant charges a high price for his product, it encourages the merchant to trick his customers
into buying his product. Islam emphasises that sustenance involving halal earnings must be free of usury
and any other forms of dishonesty in the transactions. Otherwise, the profits are unblessed and possibly
illegal. As a result, Islam, in my perspective, prohibits merchants from raising the selling price of their
goods.

2. Putting an excessive price on daily necessities (persecuting others)

Business ethics in Islam is sincere, not engaging in usury practices, mutual consent, avoiding all
elements of fraud, fulfilling and abiding by agreements, fairness, trust, Istiqamah, avoiding waste,
prioritizing spiritual and physical cleanliness, helping each other, being polite and punctual. Putting a
high price on basic necessities is an act of tyranny and oppression of others. These acts are strictly
forbidden in the teachings of Islam. Therefore, in my opinion, Islam does not allow Muslim traders to
place too high a price on the price of capital even to maximize the profit.

3. Tend to do Ihtikar

Ihtikar refers to purchasing staple foods from the market when people are in severe need of them. Goods
are collected and hidden with the intention of boosting their price many times over, and then sold in
small increments by exploiting people's needs. Such an act is haram based on the hadith of the Prophet
SAW. Hence, I believe charging the price of goods for sale at a price higher than the capital price is not
allowed in islam.

4. Can cause a person to be greedy for profit

It is undeniable that Islam does not impose specific limits on profits earned in the buying and selling
process. This will cause a person to be greedy in reaping profits. Islam does not limit profits, however,
the way to obtain such profits must be in line with Islamic Sharia. When obscured by currency and
greed, one can do anything to make a profit including sinful acts such as fraud. For that reason, I believe
charging a high price for goods to maximize the profit is not allowed in Islam.

In conclusion, I am inclined to the opinion that taking multiple profits in business is not
permissible in Islam. When a seller can raise the price of goods at it will for profit, it will drive a person
to become more greedier and want more profit. As the consequences, the situation can lead the seller to
commit fraud, persecute others and tend to do Ihtikar. The acts is clearly forbidden in religion because
it leads to oppression and tyranny. Thus, acts of oppression and deception are forbidden in Islam. The
goods for sale must be sold in accordance with the market price at the time.
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3. Zakat considered as one of the tools used to eradicate poverty and reduce the income gap.
However, many people query the credibility of this institution in handling the problem of poverty
in the country. In your opinion, has this institution failed to play the role effectively?

[ 20 MARKS]

Zakat is a kind of donation for Muslims that is considered a compulsory obligation in Islam, ranking
second in priority after prayers according to the Quran. Zakat, as one of the Islamic Pillars, is a religious
responsibility for all Muslims who meet the income requirements for supporting the destitute. The
beneficiary must be impoverished and/or in need to be eligible for zakat. A poor individual is one whose
property does not surpass his basic necessities but does not reach the nisab criterion. Anyone’s zakat
cannot be given to anybody in their direct family, including their spouse, children, parents, and
grandparents. Zakat is seen as one of the measures used to alleviate poverty and decrease the gap
between rich and poor. Nevertheless, many people doubt this institution's ability to combat poverty in
the country. As for me, I did consider this institution have failed to play their role effectively. That is
because, zakat is tools to reduce the gap of income between the rich and poor, but there are still people
who are in need still did not get help from the institution or they get zakat but are unable to cover their
lives for the long term.

From my observation, there is few factors that I consider zakat institution in the country has
failed to play their role in helping the needy people. The first factor is the way of the zakat application.
In the globalization, the zakat institution have introduced online platform to apply and pay the zakat for
each state. People also can apply the zakat at the zakat centre at their respective place. Regardless of
how zakat committee members prepare to provide zakat to people in need, there are definitely people
left behind to get it. For instant, people living in rural areas who certainly do not have the facilities to
go to the city and there is no internet coverage to apply online. If no one around them are willing to
help, then, they will not get the zakat that they deserve to get.

Next, regarding the types of zakat. Malaysia citizen who is Muslims surely accustomed to zakat
al-Fitr because zakat al-Fitr is paid according to a certain season, that is, in the month of Ramadhan
before Eid al-Fitr every year. However, there are a few people who do not know the existence of zakat
Maal which imposed on all types of property. There are seven types of property. It includes income,
saving, business, gold, shares, agriculture and livestock. Zakat Maal is less well known in the society
for one of two reasons, either they do not highlight Islamic teachings or they do not know how to
measure zakat Maal. Zakat Maal is only imposed on certain people who have reached their income level
to pay a certain amount of money from their income. Same method also applies to other types of
properties. Hence, the zakat centre should take the initiative to make the zakat Maal exposed to
everyone.
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The weaknesses that I have mentioned earlier is not merely come from zakat institution itself.
People in the society need to work together to help Muslims in need in the country. There is still room
for zakat centres and the society to make improvements in this regard. The zakat centres each states can
do advertisement through social media about the types of zakat and welcoming people to pay zakat
either online or offline. The zakat centre's revelation has the potential to awaken society's eyes to the
existence of zakat Maal. If qualified, a person must pay zakat on their income, savings, gold, shares,
livestock, agriculture, or business at the stipulated rate. There is no doubt that many people are
unconcerned with zakat Maal. The zakat centre should educate society about the zakat Maal by giving
them some exposure about this matter. As a result, Many people in need can be support if more people
pay respective zakat.

Zakat institutions must be strengthened and improved in order to create a new state of matter,
particularly in zakat distribution, so that it can compete locally or perhaps even globally. The efficiency
of zakat administration is related to the distribution system, the administrator's quality and skill, and
accountability in governance and the organisation itself. They must be more focused and accountable
in order for the zakat institution to be a great achievement in ensuring social and economic
sustainability. That success can be achieved when being able to help people in need not only financially
and housing. In fact, we can help them to boost their confidence and mental health.

In short, zakat is a specific institution among Muslims that helps the poor. I believe that
distributing and collecting zakat for a country is really tough. People should be considerate to their
neighbours by assisting them or telling the zakat committee that there are people who in need to at their
respective place or village and require quick assistance. Islam significantly encourages the act of
assisting fellow Muslims. Apart from purifying zakat properties, it also contributes to the development
of Muslims' economies by bridging the gap between the rich and the poor with the goal of releasing the
poor families from the cocoon of poverty. Although this institution is currently unable to address our
country's overall poverty problem, there is always opportunity for progress. Therefore, with the future
improvement that will be implemented by the zakat, I hope it can help the problem of poverty in our
country.