MUI Urges Return to 'Affordability' Principle in Hajj Financing Scheme

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) is urging the government to return the hajj financing scheme to its fundamental Islamic principle, namely ‘manistah’a ilaihi sabl’ (whoever is able to afford the journey). This statement comes in response to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s proposal regarding the Hajj Pilgrimage Costs (BPIH) of Rp 107.34 million per person. To maintain affordability, the government has proposed a financing scheme where 60 per cent is supported by the value of benefits from the management of the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH) and only 40 per cent is paid directly by the pilgrims (Bipih).

MUI Deputy Chairman, KH Cholil Nafis, stressed that the hajj pilgrimage is only obligatory for Muslims who possess the capability (istithaa’ah), whether physically, mentally, or financially independent. He assessed that this covert ‘subsidy’ scheme actually obscures the principle of capability, which is a valid condition for the obligation to perform hajj. ‘People go on hajj based on manistah’a ilaihi sabl. So actually, there is no such thing as a subsidy. Return it to those who are capable; Allah does not oblige those who are incapable to go on hajj,’ said Cholil, as quoted from MUI Digital on 11 July 2026.

According to Cholil, the ‘subsidy’ label in hajj costs has been a misconception that must be corrected. The funds do not come from the state budget (APBN) or government assistance, but are the result of developing the initial deposit money belonging to all pilgrims, including millions of pilgrims still queuing on the waiting list. Cholil assessed that forcing the cost of the hajj journey to appear cheap by absorbing the benefit value belonging to other pilgrims is an unjust act that violates the principle of istithaa’ah.

Previously, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah proposed a new scheme for financing the 1448 Hijriyah or 2027 AD hajj pilgrimage. The government proposed that the Hajj Travel Costs (Bipih) paid directly by prospective pilgrims be reduced to 40 per cent. Meanwhile, the remaining 60 per cent would be met through the value of benefits managed by the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH). Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah of the Republic of Indonesia, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, stated that this scheme is a form of the government’s alignment so that the adjustment of hajj costs does not add to the financial burden of pilgrims. ‘So, if the total is Rp107 million, it means that what is paid by the pilgrims is around Rp42.8 million. Meanwhile, what is paid through the BPKH benefit value is around Rp64.2 million,’ said Dahnil while attending the XXIII Al Washliyah Congress at the Class I Jakarta Hajj Dormitory on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, as quoted from his official statement. This proposal is the inverse of the financing composition in the previous year. For last year’s hajj, pilgrims had to bear about 62 per cent of the BPIH through Bipih, while the benefit value from BPKH only contributed about 38 per cent. According to Dahnil, optimising the benefit value to 60 per cent for next year is very possible. This is based on the current calculation of hajj fund management, including the accumulation of managed funds when the departure of hajj pilgrims was delayed in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as departures that were still limited in 2022.