Abstract
Waqf has great potential as an instrument for economic empowerment of the people, but many waqf lands in Indonesia are still abandoned and unproductive due to limited funding, weak management, and lack of waqf-based economic development. This condition raises questions about how zakat funds can function as a driving force to revive abandoned waqf land, how productive zakat schemes can be directed to asnaf groups in waqf land management, and how the integration of zakat and waqf can create sustainable economic empowerment. This research uses empirical legal methods, analyzed with the theory of maqāṣid al-sharī'ah. Data based on the results of in-depth interviews with academics, ulama and zakat managers. The results of the study show three important findings; First, the institutionalization of zakat and waqf builds institutional synergy through productive zakat funding, nazhir collaboration, and sustainable governance to revive abandoned waqf land into valuable economic and social assets. Both zakat funds can be an initial source of financing in economic activities such as agriculture, livestock, MSMEs, and entrepreneurship given to asnaf groups that will improve the economy in a sustainable manner. Third, the ihyā' al-mawāt waqf land funding model with a zakat fund scheme is seen as able to increase the productivity of waqf land and encourage the transformation of mustahik towards economic independence. Thus, the practice of ihyā' al-mawāt utilizing zakat funds aligns with the principles of maqāṣid al-sharī'ah by emphasizing the importance of synergy between zakat and waqf institutions, thereby establishing a productive and sustainable Islamic economic model.