The President’s Qurbani Aid from the State Budget Is Better Seen as a Social Program
The policy of providing qurbani cattle aid for President Prabowo Subianto, sourced from the state budget (APBN) for Eid al-Adha 1447 H/2026, needs to be understood proportionally. Prof. Ahmad Tholabi Kharlie, a professor at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, reckons that this aid program-about 1,098 cows worth roughly IDR 100 billion under the Presidential Social Assistance scheme-brings together spiritual, social, and public policy dimensions.
From an Islamic perspective, the act of qurbani has a strong individual ritual aspect, so using public funds raises some conceptual issues. But, Islamic tradition also recognizes baitul mal for distributing public wealth for the people’s benefit. Tholabi points out that distributing qurbani meat can be seen as part of social protection and meeting food needs.
Tholabi suggests positioning this program as a state social distribution program, not as the President’s personal qurbani. "In fiqh, personal financial worship should ideally use one's own money. So, a more fitting approach is to frame it as a state social program tied to the Eid al-Adha moment," he said.
https://www.gelora.co/2026/05/