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Purpose Rural areas face persistent funding gaps and low community participation despite strong potential. This study proposes an innovative rural empowerment strategy that integrates zakat and waqf management, with active engagement of five key stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach This study reviews the literature and relevant regulations on zakat and waqf management, with adaptation of the Penta helix collaboration model. In addition, a case study of the Desa Gemilang program, implemented by Al-Azhar Zakat Institution, was used to show the practical application of the proposed model in the context of integrated zakat and waqf-based rural empowerment. Findings This study introduces the UINF-SGD Model for integrating zakat and waqf management into rural empowerment programs. Using a Penta helix collaboration among academia, industry, community, government and media, the model coordinates the collection and distribution of zakat and waqf in compliance with regulations, with each stakeholder contributing according to their respective expertise. Research limitations/implications This study remains exploratory and does not provide a quantitative impact evaluation or a comparative validation across cases, despite the attempt to demonstrate real-world application. Practical implications Government policy implementation should prioritize issuing technical guidelines at the rural level to integrate Islamic social finance programs into existing development planning mechanisms, supported by capacity-building programs for local facilitators and standardized monitoring systems. Social implications This study identifies several potential social implications of implementing the model to empower rural communities. Originality/value The analysis adapted the Penta helix collaboration approach to the integrative management of zakat and waqf within a community empowerment program.
Rohim et al. (Fri,) studied this question.