Baznas Indonesia: Zakat funds not used for nutritious meal scheme

We affirm that none of the zakat, infaq, and sadaqah entrusted to Baznas by the public is used for the MBG Programme. Jakarta (ANTARA) – The National Zakat Agency (Baznas) of the Republic of Indonesia affirms that zakat, infaq, and sadaqah (ZIS) collected from donors and the public are not used to fund the Free Nutritious Meal Programme (MBG). The Head of Baznas RI’s Collection Division, Rizaludin Kurniawan, said that the use of ZIS has clear rules and cannot be diverted for purposes other than those stipulated in Islamic law. “We affirm that none of the zakat, infaq, and sadaqah entrusted to Baznas by the public is used for the MBG Programme. All of it is distributed for the benefit of the community in accordance with the provisions for the eight asnaf categories,” he said in a statement in Jakarta on Wednesday. Rizaludin affirmed that ZIS can only be used for the eight recipient categories (asnaf) as stipulated in Islamic law, namely the poor, the needy, amil (zakat collectors), muallaf (new converts), riqab (slaves or indentured servants), gharimin (people in debt), and those who strive in the way of Allah, as well as ibn sabil (travellers in need). Furthermore, Rizaludin explained that both institutionally and in terms of funding sources, the MBG Programme and the management of zakat are in different systems. The MBG Programme is a government programme funded through the state budget, while ZIS funds come from public donations, the use of which is strictly regulated in Islamic law. “Therefore, zakat funds cannot be diverted for programmes that do not fall into the asnaf categories, including the MBG Programme,” he said. In its implementation, Rizaludin said that the distribution and utilisation programmes for ZIS managed by Baznas are focused on poverty alleviation, improving access to education and healthcare, economic empowerment, and humanitarian assistance for vulnerable groups that fall into the eight asnaf categories. In line with this, Rizaludin also appealed to the public not to be influenced by unsubstantiated information regarding the use of zakat funds. He affirmed that the trust of donors remains intact and that all zakat funds are distributed appropriately to the poor and vulnerable groups in various regions of Indonesia. “We (Baznas) implement transparent and accountable governance through reporting and periodic audits as a form of accountability to the public. The public can view the complete report on the official Baznas website, www.baznas.go.id,” said Rizaludin Kurniawan. Copyright © ANTARA 2026 It is strictly prohibited to take content, crawl or automatically index for AI on this website without written permission from the ANTARA News Agency.