LOVE, ETHICS, AND ZAKAT: THE RADICAL IMAGINATION OF ISLAMIC PHILANTHROPY IN SUAMIKU JADUL BY BINTANG KEJORA

This article examines the representation of zakat in the novel Suamiku Jaddul by Bintang Kejora, by highlighting how zakat is not only present as a religious obligation, but also as a social practice that transforms lives and forms a network of chained goodness. Through the character of Bang Parlin, zakat is told not just as a material giving, but as a long-term strategy to empower mustahiq to become the next muzakki. This research uses a literary hermeneutic approach with a focus on zakat narratives spread across various parts of the novel. It was found that zakat in this novel is practiced with selective, empathetic, and personal values—avoiding institutions but adhering to the essence of sharia. The concept of "chain zakat" emerged as a model of Islamic philanthropic ethics rooted in transformational experiences, namely that each recipient is guided to become a giver in the future. Thus, this novel offers a progressive social imagination about zakat as an instrument of justice and social regeneration based on compassion. This study concludes that literature can be an effective vehicle for Islamic socio-economic da'wah and touch the emotional side of readers in sowing the spirit of solidarity among the people.