MUI Confirms Legality of Prabowo's State Budget-Funded Sacrificial Animal Purchase

Chairman of MUI’s Fatwa Commission, Asrorun Niam Sholeh, has ruled that President Prabowo Subianto’s purchase of sacrificial animals using state funds is legally permissible. He stated that, under Islamic law and national administrative procedures, the president’s purchase of sacrificial cattle is unproblematic. He explained that Islamic jurisprudence encourages heads of state to offer sacrifices on behalf of the nation for the public good, a point reinforced in hadith literature. ‘As narrated by Imam Bukhari, it is recommended for the imam—in Indonesia’s context, the president—to purchase sacrificial animals through baitul mal,’ he stated in a written statement on Thursday, 28 May 2026. He said the state treasury can be interpreted as the modern equivalent of baitul mal, meaning the president’s sacrificial animals are owned by the people since they were purchased with state funds. ‘The national budget is naturally intended for distribution to the public, so the state’s sacrifice serves the people’s interests. There is no religious issue,’ Niam said. Additionally, he noted that the president’s sacrificial animal procurement via social assistance aligns with social welfare distribution, and there is no misuse of state funds. Rather than criticising the president’s sacrificial animal purchase, Niam urged the public to view the policy positively, stating that Eid al-Adha is an opportune moment to allocate state funds for distributing meat to the populace. ‘Thus, there is no religious concern, and technically this is contextually appropriate,’ said the Professor of Islamic Jurisprudence at Jakarta Islamic State University. President Prabowo Subianto allocated Rp100 billion for sacrificial animals through the presidential social assistance budget. Deputy Minister of the State Secretariat Juri Ardiantoro stated that 1,098 cattle were purchased. The 1,098 cattle were distributed by the government across Indonesia, following a predetermined allocation scheme. First, 598 cattle were allocated to provincial and district governments. ‘There are 552 regions—38 provinces and 514 districts—receiving a total of 598 cattle,’ Juri said on Tuesday, 26 May 2026. Juri explained each region would receive at least one cattle, except 46 districts which would receive two each. This is because the president’s sacrificial cattle must weigh between 800kg and 1.3 tonnes, and 46 regions lack cattle of that standard. ‘There are 46 areas without cattle meeting the weight requirement, hence they receive two cattle each,’ Juri said. In addition to government allocations, President Prabowo distributed 500 cattle to educational institutions such as pesantrens, community leaders, and religious figures. ‘For the regions, 598 cattle; for social and religious institutions, 500. Total 1,098 cattle,’ Juri said. Juri confirmed the cattle were healthy, having been inspected by local health authorities and certified. He added they comply with Islamic sacrificial requirements: ‘They are over two years old, male, and free from defects,’ he said.