Jakarta, Indonesianpost.com – Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Minister, Nasaruddin Umar, announced that Indonesian hajj pilgrims will have the freedom to choose where they wish to carry out their Damm sacrifice, either in Mecca or in Indonesia.
“Regarding the location of the Damm sacrifice, we leave it to the individual pilgrims to decide,” Minister Umar stated before departing for Saudi Arabia on Thursday to lead the Amirul Hajj pilgrimage.
Typically, the Damm sacrifice is performed in the Holy Land, but the possibility of conducting the practice in Indonesia has recently been questioned, even by Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Hajj.
Minister Umar explained that some countries have begun carrying out the Damm sacrifice within their own territories. In response to these developments, the Religious Affairs Ministry has consulted the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) for its stance on the matter under Islamic law.
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“As this is a fiqh issue, the government cannot issue a fatwa. Only the Ulema Council has the authority to do so,” the minister clarified.
Referring to MUI’s Fatwa Number 41 of 2011, which prohibits Damm Tamattu sacrifices outside the Holy Land, Umar noted that the council is open to revising this fatwa if new, sharia-compliant practices emerge that warrant consideration.
Following this, the ministry has prepared the legal framework for conducting the Damm sacrifice in Indonesia.
“We received a response from the Ulema Council stating that, as long as the legal basis is insufficient, performing Damm in Indonesia is not yet allowed. Logically, it must still take place in Mecca,” he added.
However, several Islamic organizations, including Muhammadiyah, Persis, and clerics from Nahdlatul Ulama, have reportedly permitted the Damm sacrifice to be performed in Indonesia.
Thus, Minister Umar left the decision up to individual pilgrims, allowing them to choose whether to perform the sacrifice in Saudi Arabia or back home in Indonesia.
“We’ve provided the necessary considerations, but the final decision depends on the pilgrims’ beliefs and the fatwas they follow,” the minister explained.
For those who opt to perform the Damm sacrifice in the Holy Land, the entire process will be carried out through the Adahi Project, managed by Al-Hay’ah Al-Malikiyyah li Madinat Makkah wal-Masyair al-Muqaddasah.
Meanwhile, pilgrims who prefer to carry out the sacrifice in Indonesia can do so via the National Alms Agency (Baznas), with payments made through a designated official account. (BL)