The influence of Maqasid Al-Shariah on the spiritual wellbeing of the participants in the Smart Sawah Berskala Besar project

Rice is one of the principal agricultural products in Malaysia, especially Kedah state that contributing more than 40% of the total production in the country. To improve the productivity and the economic adaptability of the smallholder farmers especially the asnaf group, the Malaysian government initiated the Smart Sawah Berskala Besar (SSBB) project. This initiative combines modern agricultural techniques with effective zakat disbursement. However, the effectiveness of SSBB is often evaluated solely from the perspective of economic returns, especially income and productivity gains. Those approach ignores the other dimensions of well-being elaborated in the Maqasid al-Shariah. Even though SSBB’s program has been claimed to be successful from an economic standpoint, there is not sufficient evidence to prove these outcomes indicate true economic self-sufficiency and spiritual well-being. Most of the evaluations ignore non-material factors like religious participation, tranquillity, and satisfaction of life. Therefore, this research aims to address this gap and develop an assessment framework that uses the five elements of Maqasid al-Shariah; faith, life, intellect, wealth, and progeny to measure the effect on the spiritual well-being of the participants of SSBB project. The study was carried out in Kedah, involving a sample of 57 SSBB participants. The research utilized the Maqasid al-Shariah framework and implemented quantitative approach. ANOVA with R² analysis was employed to examine the overall influence of Maqasid al-Shariah on the spiritual well-being of participants. Additionally, multiple regression combined with an independent sample t-test was conducted to identify which specific element of Maqasid al-Shariah had the most significant effect on spiritual well-being. The findings indicate that Maqasid al-Shariah has a significant impact on the spiritual well-being of asnaf, with the preservation of faith identified as the most influential factor. This indicates that religious and spiritual values are fundamental to the experiences and developmental results of marginalized farming communities. This study enhances the existing literature on Islamic development by emphasizing the integrative function of productive zakat in connecting economic progress with spiritual fulfilment. This highlights the necessity of integrating spiritual indicators into policy evaluations, especially in zakat-based empowerment programs, to ensure conformity with the overarching goals of Shariah.