MUI: BPIH Payment Pattern Of Benefit Value Is Recorded Religiously

Chairman of the MUI for Fatwa, Asrorun Niam. (ANTARA/HO-MUI)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) said that the pattern of paying the Hajj Pilgrimage Fee (BPIH) originating from the value of the benefits has been recorded in detail according to religion.

"The BIPIH 2023 stipulation from the aspect of the fatwa and the PKH Law still leaves a religious note," said MUI Chairperson for Fatwa Asrorun Ni'am Sholeh in the Inauguration of Professors and Scientific Orations Asrorun Ni'am Sholeh reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, February 22.

Asrorun said earlier on Wednesday (15/2) the government through the Ministry of Religion together with Commission VIII DPR RI had set the Hajj Implementation Fee (BPIH) to be lower than the original suggestion.

On January 19, 2023, the total fee offered was IDR 98.8 million. The agreement then changed and finally, it was agreed that the average fee that needs to be paid per congregation member is IDR 49.8 million.

In other words, 55.3 percent of the Hajj financing formulation is paid by the congregation and 44.7 percent is taken from the value of the benefits. The value of these benefits will be taken from the current year and the accumulated value of benefits managed by the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH).

"Part of the value of the benefits used, in my research, came from funds from other prospective pilgrims who had not yet departed. In fact, in fiqh, the value of the benefits from the development of the money deposited by the prospective pilgrims belonged to the prospective pilgrims personally," said Asrorun.

According to Asrorun, this provision has been confirmed in the 2012 ijtima ulama decision, and has been regulated in article 26 letter F which regulates BPKH's obligations related to paying the benefit value of BPIH and/or BPIH deposits, specifically periodically to the virtual account of each pilgrim.

The MUI fatwa regarding the financial issues of the haj became one of the references in drafting the Haj Management Law. Where is the 2012 decision of the ijtima of the Fatwa Commission throughout Indonesia, concerning the Status of Ownership of BPIH Hajj Deposit Funds Entering the Waiting List (waiting list).

The fatwa was used as a religious reference in the drafting of Law Number 34 of 2014 concerning Hajj Financial Management. This is because the substance of the stipulations in the ijtima of the Ulama was absorbed into the Law on Hajj Financial Management articles 6 and 7.

With details in article 6, it has been stated that the position of BPKH is the legal representative of pilgrims in receiving BPIH deposits, including the flow of managing them.

Then in article 7, it has been stated that BPIH and/or Special BPIH deposits are funds entrusted by pilgrims for the implementation of the pilgrimage.

"So the status of the money does not yet belong to the government. The two articles in the Law on Hajj Financial Management explain the position and legal status of the Hajj deposit fund and the value of the benefits resulting from its development," he said.