BAZNAS Funds Draw Scrutiny as Netizens Question Allocation to Administrators versus the Poor and Debt-Burdened
Jakarta – Financial reports from the National Zakat Collection Board (BAZNAS) have become the subject of widespread discussion on social media. Many members of the public are questioning the scale of zakat fund distributions, which they regard as imbalanced.
In data covering the periods ending on 31 December 2024 and 2023, the public perceives a disparity in fund distribution to administrators (amil) and those in the path of Allah (fisabilillah) compared to allocations for the poor (fakir) and the debt-burdened (gharimin). For context, amil refers to those who distribute zakat, whilst fisabilillah refers to those fighting for the Islamic faith.
The poor (fakir) are defined as individuals with no source of income due to severe circumstances such as illness. Gharim or gharimin refers to those with debt who face difficulties repaying it.
According to the report, zakat distribution to administrators in 2024 reached Rp107.6 billion, compared to Rp83.2 billion in 2023.
Zakat distribution for fisabilillah in 2024 reached Rp319.2 billion, compared to Rp214.5 billion in 2023.
This stands in sharp contrast to distributions for the poor and debt-burdened. Zakat allocation for the poor in 2024 reached Rp63.8 billion, compared to Rp55.5 billion in 2023.
Meanwhile, zakat distribution to the debt-burdened in 2024 reached Rp1.5 billion, compared to Rp350.9 million in 2023.
Many social media users have questioned the scale of these distributions, which they regard as excessive.
“This is an interesting BAZNAS financial report. What stands out is that the allocation for administrators (amil) is larger than that for the poor and debt-burdened. One particularly large allocation is for fisabilillah—what exactly falls under the fisabilillah category?” commented a netizen quoted from the Instagram account @lambe_turah on Monday, 2 March 2026.
Several netizens have also called for audits of zakat collection institutions in Indonesia.