Baznas urges Muslims in Bali to pay Zakat Fitrah before Nyepi

Baznas Bali has invited Muslims on the Island of the Gods to pay Zakat Fitrah before Nyepi Day on 19 March 2026.

“We urge Muslims to make their Zakat payments as early as possible, especially as we approach Nyepi, when we must also respect and honour one another. We must not have distribution or payments still taking place on the night of Nyepi,” said Baznas Bali Chairman Yunus Naim in Denpasar on Tuesday.

In addition to ensuring that Nyepi remains solemn, the early payment of Zakat Fitrah is necessary because the date of 1 Syawal 1447 AH (Eid al-Fitr 2026) has not yet been officially determined.

Initially, Baznas had targeted final collections at 22.00 Wita on the night of Takbiran to allow sufficient time for distribution before Eid. However, they fear that the Isbat Panel may announce Eid al-Fitr to fall on 20 March 2026, whilst on 19 March Bali’s Hindu population will be observing Nyepi, which also restricts access to information.

This directive has been communicated to Bali’s mosques, prayer rooms and foundations within Baznas’s network to maintain harmony on the island.

At Baznas Bali’s own office, Zakat Fitrah payments began on the fourth day of Ramadan and distributions started last week to expedite the process. Yunus noted that this year, most Muslims in Bali are making payments via digital and cash methods, making the process faster and easier.

He roughly calculated that the cash Zakat Fitrah collected at his office amounts to approximately Rp20 million, plus 1,350 bags of rice at 5 kg each, with prices ranging around Rp80,000 per bag.

Yunus reminded Muslims in Bali that they can pay Zakat at a nominal rate of Rp54,000 or 3 kg of rice per person. The collected Zakat will be distributed to approximately 6,800 beneficiaries across all regencies and cities in Bali, with the majority concentrated in Denpasar and Badung, as other regencies and cities in Bali also have their own Baznas offices that collect Zakat.

According to Yunus, accelerating the collection and distribution of Zakat Fitrah before Nyepi is not the issue. The real challenge in Bali is mobilising Muslims and encouraging them to pay Zakat in their work locations, so that the benefits reach local communities.

“The real challenge is that Zakat education and literacy remain incomplete, as the majority of Muslims in Bali live scattered across different areas rather than in concentrated communities, making collection efforts suboptimal. However, if maximised, it would be highly beneficial, not only as a religious obligation but also as a means of strengthening harmony,” Yunus said.