Indonesian lawmakers seek Sharia-based reforms for Hajj governance

Indonesia's House of Representatives Committee VIII convened a Public Hearing (RDPU) with various Islamic community organizations (ormas) to solicit jurisprudential perspectives on the governance of the Hajj pilgrimage. The meeting, held on Monday, July 20, 2026, aimed to gather insights on applying Islamic law and safety principles to the implementation of Hajj rituals.

Ansory Siregar, Deputy Chairman of Committee VIII, explained that the hearing was scheduled as part of the legislative agenda for Session V of the 2025-2026 legislative year. The primary objective was to obtain scholarly views from Islamic leaders regarding the application of new Hajj policies, particularly concerning practices such as the wukuf (standing vigil) in Arafah, dam (sacrifice), and tanazul (downward accommodation).

Siregar emphasized that the input is crucial because the organization of the Hajj pilgrimage must adhere to Sharia provisions, as stipulated in Law Number 14 of 2025, which amends Law Number 8 of 2019 concerning the organization of Hajj and Umrah. The committee seeks to reinforce the jurisprudential basis for new policies related to dam, murur (staying overnight briefly) during mabit in Muzdalifah, and tanazul during mabit in Mina.

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Today's meeting is organized to gather input from the leaders of Islamic community organizations regarding the jurisprudential perspective in the implementation of wukuf in Arafah, dam, and tanazul in the organization of the Hajj pilgrimage.

"We believe that several new policies, such as the implementation of dam, murur during mabit in Muzdalifah, and tanazul when mabit in Mina, require strengthening from a jurisprudential perspective to ensure legal certainty and convenience for the pilgrims," Siregar stated.

The committee also noted that 126,832 Indonesian Hajj pilgrims have already fulfilled their dam obligations through various schemes. These include 90,956 pilgrims who paid dam via the Adahi program in Saudi Arabia, 32,691 who settled dam in Indonesia, and 3,195 who completed it through fasting. Additionally, 1,076 pilgrims opted for the ifrad Hajj scheme, exempting them from the tamattu' dam obligation.

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We believe that several new policies, such as the implementation of dam, murur during mabit in Muzdalifah, and tanazul when mabit in Mina, require strengthening from a jurisprudential perspective to ensure legal certainty and convenience for the pilgrims.