President's Qurban Funded via Banpres, MUI Says Sharia-Compliant as Part of State Budget Allocation

The Chairman of the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) Fatwa Commission, Prof KH Asrorun Niam Sholeh, stated that President Prabowo Subianto’s qurban using Banpres (Presidential Aid) does not contravene Islamic law (syar’i). “The purchase of cattle from the state budget by the President via Banpres is, in my view, not problematic under sharia,” Prof Niam said on Thursday (28 May).

The issue of the President’s qurban purchase using the national budget through the Banpres scheme has been widely discussed on social media. Niam explained that the head of state is encouraged to perform qurban on behalf of the nation for public welfare. He cited a hadith from Bukhari stating that qurban is recommended for the imam, which in Indonesia’s context refers to the President. The President then buys the sacrificial animals through Baitul Mal (state treasury).

Niam stated that the national budget (APBN) is the contextual form of Baitul Mal in the modern era, making the qurban animals public property as they are purchased with state funds and returned to the people. “There is no issue under sharia,” he added.

He clarified that the President’s qurban purchase via Banpres is akin to social assistance distributed to the public. The head of the IPNU Alumni Council emphasised there is no misuse of funds in the Banpres budget. “The President, through Banpres, purchases cattle which are then distributed for the people’s benefit,” he said.

Deputy Minister of State Secretariat Juri Ardiantoro confirmed that this year’s President Prabowo Subianto’s qurban programme is a regular public assistance initiative. Ahead of Eid al-Adha 1447 Hijriyah, the President distributed 598 sacrificial cattle to provincial and district governments across Indonesia.