Azzikra release 25 hectares of Waqf Forest

MOSAIC-INDONESIA.COM, BOGOR — Azzikra Foundation launched a 25-hectare Waqf Forest program at Azzikra Pesantren, Gunung Sindur, Bogor, Ahad (16/3/2025). KH Abdul Syukur, the founder of the Azzikra Foundation along with scholars and local community leaders participated in the event.

This program was held in the 6th memorization of KH Arifin Ilham death, the founder of Azzikra,  who are known as a spiritual figure and environmentalist. The Waqf Forest aims to preserve the environment, empower communities, and create sustainable economic benefits.

The program is a form of human worship and responsibility as caliph on earth, making a positive impact ecologically, economically, and socially, for both current and future generations. The Waqf Forest will be built with the concept of permaculture, a sustainable agricultural system that integrates the environment, people, and the economy.

The main goal of the program is to carry out ecosystem restoration and to have a positive impact on society through environmental education, community empowerment, and food security. In addition, the Waqf Forest is also expected to have an economic impact through the development of edu-ecotourism and bioeconomic products generated from the forest.

KH Abdul Syukar stated that the waqf forest is a real form of Islamic teaching that promotes balance between man and nature. “Through this program, we not only protect the environment, but also empower the surrounding communities by providing access to education, business fields, and food security,” he said.

This program is also reflect our role as caliphs on earth, given the mandate and responsibility to safeguard and prosper this earth. Ustadz Khotib, Head of the Mount Sindur Azzikra Foundation, also said, “We are very excited about the launch of this Waqf Forest. This program will not only provide environmental benefits, but also become a means of education and empowerment for the surrounding community. We hope that this Waqf Forest can be an inspiration for the development of productive waqf in the future.”

Dr. Hayu Prabowo, Chairman of the EcoMasjid Foundation, added, “The launch of the Waqf Forest is a continuation of the Tree Alms program conducted the day before at Azzikra Mosque & Pesantren, Sentul. The planting of trees on the land of the Waqf Azzikra aims to develop a Waqf Forest that has wider and more diverse and sustainable benefits.”

The 25-hectare Waqf Forest will be managed by the EcomaSjid Foundation, an agency focused on developing an environment based on Islamic values.

The EcomaSjid Foundation in collaboration with the Azzikra Foundation will be responsible for the design, financing, operation, and development of food forests on the Azzikra waqf lands, including fruit tree planting, animal husbandry, plantation, edu-ecotourism development, and bioeconomic production.

The programme also gained the full support of local scholars and community leaders. They hope that this Waqf Forest can serve as an example for the development of mosque and boarding school waqf assets into environmentally friendly and sustainable productive waqf, as one of the instruments in supporting sustainable development in Indonesia.