Cash Waqf and Preferred Method of Payment: Case of Malaysia Using an AHP Approach

The objective of this research is to study the significance of payment methods among cash waqf donors in Malaysia. This study used online web survey to collect data. The respondents of the study consisted of cash waqf donors, and we sent the online questionnaire using convenient sampling technique in Penang, Selangor and Johor. An analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was utilized as the primary analytical device where the method of aggregate individual priority (AIP)—weighted geometric mean method (WGMM) is applied. The findings suggested that the online payment and cash methods were the first and second most preferred means respectively for donors to pay cash waqf. Meanwhile, the use of postal order and cheque scored the least precedence compared to other waqf payment methods. Undoubtedly, this paper has certain limitations where the variables, one of the payment methods must be referred to SIRC, unlike methods offered by private bodies such as by debit card and credit card. Thus, future research should add more variables to acquire deeper findings. Cash waqf trustees or fundraisers would be able to focus on the types of payment methods that obtained high priority rates to meet donor’s expectation. This study can be significantly discerned from both the theoretical and the practical perspectives. From a theoretical perspective, this study was expected to fulfil the knowledge gap in the literature of waqf studies and the AHP methodology. There was still no study that covered the priority of payment methods among waqf donors.