MUI: Prabowo's Use of State Funds for Kurban Unproblematic
The Chairman of the MUI’s Fatwa Board, Asrorun Niam Sholeh, has stated that President Prabowo Subianto’s purchase of sacrificial animals using state funds is permissible. He said that under Islamic law and national governance procedures, the president’s acquisition of kurban cattle is unproblematic.
He explained that in Islamic jurisprudence, a head of state is encouraged to perform kurban on behalf of the nation for the welfare of the people. Niam noted this is supported by 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 said in a written statement, citing the MUI website on Thursday, 28 May 2026.
He stated that state funds can be interpreted as the modern equivalent of baitul mal (Islamic treasury). Therefore, the sacrificial animals purchased by the president belong to the people since they are acquired using public funds.
‘Of course, the state budget (APBN) is intended for distribution to the public, so the kurban from the state serves the people’s interests. There is no issue under Islamic law,’ Niam said.
He added that the president’s purchase of sacrificial animals via social assistance funds is equivalent to social aid distribution. He affirmed there is no misuse of state funds in procuring the kurban animals.
Rather than questioning the president’s kurban purchase, Niam urged the public to view the policy positively. He said Eid al-Adha is an appropriate time to allocate state funds for distributing sacrificial meat to the populace.
‘I believe there is no religious issue, and technically this is contextually appropriate,’ said the Professor of Fiqh at Jakarta Islamic State University.
The president’s sacrificial animals, purchased through his social assistance budget, amounted to Rp100 billion. Deputy Minister of State Secretariat Juri Ardiantoro stated that 1,098 cattle were procured.
The 1,098 sacrificial cattle were distributed by the government across all regions of Indonesia, following a predetermined allocation scheme.
First, 598 cattle were allocated to provincial and district/city governments. ‘There are 552 regions—38 provinces and 514 districts/cities—receiving a total of 598 cattle,’ Juri said on Tuesday, 26 May 2026.
Juri explained each region would receive at least one cattle, except for 46 districts/cities that would receive two.
The reason is that the president’s sacrificial cattle must weigh between 800kg and 1.3 tonnes, and 46 regions lack cattle meeting this standard. ‘There are 46 areas without cattle of that weight, hence some receive two cattle,’ Juri said.
In addition to regional governments, President Prabowo distributed 500 cattle to educational institutions such as pesantrens, community leaders, and religious figures. ‘For regions, 598 cattle; for social, religious institutions, pesantrens, and leaders, 500 cattle. Total 1,098 cattle,’ Juri said.
Juri confirmed the distributed cattle are healthy, having been inspected by local health authorities and certified. He added they comply with Islamic sacrificial requirements: aged over two years, male, and free from defects.