MUI: National Budget Used for Qurban Comparable to Food Assistance Programme

MUI has stated that President Prabowo Subianto’s use of the national budget (APBN) to purchase sacrificial animals for Qurban does not contravene Islamic law. MUI Fatwa Commission Chairman KH Asrorun Niam Sholeh said the mechanism is similar to other government social assistance programmes, such as food aid distribution. “It is the same as the presidential assistance budget allocated for food parcels distributed to the public. The logic is identical: the sacrificial animals are not consumed personally by the President but are directly distributed to regions,” he said in a statement on Wednesday (27 May). He added that the national budget now functions as a modern Baitul Mal (Islamic public treasury) managed for public interest. “In the current state context, the APBN acts as a modern Baitul Mal, meaning the state’s Qurban is purely for the benefit and welfare of the wider community. There is no issue under Islamic law,” he stated. He also noted that this procurement model has strong fiqh foundations in Islamic history. Citing a Hadith from Imam Bukhari, Niam explained that a leader or imam is encouraged to purchase sacrificial animals using the Baitul Mal or state treasury. This year’s Eid al-Adha (1447 Hijriah), Prabowo distributed 1,098 cattle. Presidential Secretary Juri Ardiantoro stated the funding came from the APBN via the presidential social assistance budget, valued at approximately Rp100 billion. All of Prabowo’s Qurban cattle were sourced from local breeders and consisted of premium breeds weighing over 800 kilograms up to 1.3 tonnes. The breeds included Simmental, Limousin, Peranakan Ongole, Brahman, Angus, Bali cattle, FH, Belgian Blue, and Charolais. Prices varied based on weight and regional location. “The funding source is the APBN through the presidential social assistance budget. Therefore, cattle prices vary according to weight and location, which affects pricing. We adjust prices per region. The total expenditure is approximately Rp100 billion,” Juri said during a press conference at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Tuesday (26 May).