Tabung Haji

Lembaga Tabung Haji

Company type	State-owned enterprise
Industry	Finance Hospitality Property Plantation Information technology
Founded	30 September 1963 (as Lembaga Urusan dan Tabung Haji) 28 August 1997 (as Tabung Haji)
Founder	Ungku Abdul Aziz
Headquarters	Tabung Haji Tower, 201, Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Key people	Abdul Rashid Hussain, Chairman
Subsidiaries	See subsidiaries
Website	tabunghaji.gov.my

Lembaga Tabung Haji (Jawi: تابوڠ حاج‎; Arabic صندوق الحج‎) also known as Tabung Haji or TH is the Malaysian hajj pilgrims fund board.^[1] It was formerly known as Lembaga Urusan dan Tabung Haji (LUTH). The main headquarters is located at Tabung Haji Tower, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur. Tabung Haji facilitates savings for the pilgrimage to Mecca through investment in Shariah-compliant vehicles.^[2] Through its subsidiaries, the company also engaged in other industries such as finance, hospitality, property, plantation and information technology.^[3]

Prior to the establishment of Lembaga Tabung Haji, there was no Islamic financial institution that provided services to the Muslim in Malaysia to save for hajj expenses. Even though several banks were already operating, the Muslims were reluctant to use conventional banking for their hajj savings because they wanted to ensure that their hajj savings were free from riba (usury) in order to attain a Mabrur Hajj.

History

The idea to set up the Prospective Hajj Pilgrims Savings Corporation (Perbadanan Wang Simpanan Bakal-bakal Haji (PWSBH)) was triggered by a proposal made by the renowned Malay economist, the Royal Professor YM Ungku Abdul Aziz in December 1959 to the Federal Government of Malaya.

The first step was taken with the establishment of PWSBH under Law No. 34, 1962, in 1963. The corporation was under the purview of the Ministry of Rural Development.

Beginning 30 September 1963, PWSBH created history by opening counters to collect deposits from prospective hajj pilgrims in the country. Malaysian Muslims were taught at an early age on the need to save in a Shariah-compliant organisation to prepare for their hajj.

When operations began in 1963, a total of 1,281 prospective pilgrims opened their accounts with a total savings of RM 46,610. Their main objective then was to ensure that their savings were secure and free of usury to enable them to fulfill the fifth Five Pillars of Islam and to attain a Mabrur Hajj. Dividend and bonuses were not in the mind at all, at that time.

The confidence displayed by the prospective pilgrims drove PWSBH to continue upgrading its services to ensure that it fulfilled the ‘fardu kifayah’ (religious duty of collective obligation). Since then, PWSBH continued to intensify efforts in attracting more Muslims to use the savings facility provided by the government to ensure that their savings were always ‘halal’ and safe.

In 1969, to further strengthen its role in coordinating the expending savings and hajj management, PWSBH was merged with the Hajj Affairs Management Office (Pejabat Urusan Hal Ehwal Haji) which had been in operation since 1951 in Penang. This newly set up organisation was named Lembaga Urusan dan Tabung Haji (LUTH) and was later renamed as Lembaga Tabung Haji in 1995, known as Tabung Haji or by its acronym TH.

With the establishment of TH, the affairs related to Malaysians’ hajj pilgrimage became much easier and well-organised. Malaysian Muslims who are making their maiden trip to the Holy Land would have nothing to worry about because TH looks into all their needs including matters related to passport, hajj visa, transportation, accommodation in Makkah, Madinah, Mina, and Arafah as well as healthcare and hajj guidance.

Subsidiaries

The main headquarters of Tabung Haji at Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Financial Institution

1. BIMB Holdings Berhad
   1. Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad
   2. Takaful Malaysia Berhad
   3. BIMB Securities

Services

1. TH International Sdn Bhd

Hospitality

1. TH Hotel & Residence Sdn Bhd
   1. TH Global Sdn Bhd
   2. TH Travel & Services Sdn Bhd

Property Development and Construction

1. TH Properties Sdn Bhd
2. LTH Property Investment (L) Inc.
3. LTH Property Holdings Limited
4. LTH Property Holdings 2 Limited

Plantation

1. TH Plantations Berhad
2. TH Indo Industries Sdn Bhd
3. TH Indopalms Sdn Bhd
4. TH Estates (Holdings) Sdn Bhd
5. Deru Semangat Sdn Bhd

Information Technology

1. Theta Edge Berhad

Theta Edge Berhad is a subsidiary of Tabung Haji and involves in ICT service provider. The company listed on the Second Board of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in 1994 and moved to the Main Board in 1999 of the Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad.^[4]

References

1. (18 July 1990). Tunnel tragedy death toll may reach 155, says Yusof, New Straits Times
2. "Paket Umroh Hemat". www.hajiplusumroh.com. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
3. T. Gomez, Edmund; Padmanabhan, Thirshalar; Kamaruddin, Norfaryanti; Bhalla, Sunil; Fisal, Fikri (2017). Minister of Finance Incorporated: Ownership and Control of Corporate Malaysia. Springer. p. 173. ISBN 9789811048975.
4. "Theta Edge Berhad Official Page".

External links

• Tabung Haji website