"Regarding the location for slaughtering Damm, we leave it to the individual," the minister said before leaving for Saudi Arabia to lead Amirul Hajj on Thursday.
He noted that the Damm sacrifice is usually carried out in the Holy Land. However, questions have been raised as to whether the practice would possibly be carried out in Indonesia. The question was.also raised by the Saudi Arabian Minister of Hajj.
Minister Umar said that a number of countries are carrying out the Damm sacrifice within their own territories. Therefore, the Religious Affairs Ministry sent a letter to the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), seeking its opinion on the position of Islamic law on the matter.
"Because this concerns a fiqh issue, the government has no right to issue a fatwa. The one who can issue a fatwa is the Ulema Council," he explained.
As per the MUI Fatwa Number 41 of 2011, Damm Tamattu outside the Holy Land is forbidden.
However, the MUI is open to reviewing the provisions of the fatwa as long as there are new things that are sharia-compliant and worthy of consideration in determining new laws.
Hence, the ministry prepared the legal basis for sharia law (ilat) so that the Damm sacrifice can be carried out in the country.
"Yesterday, we got an answer from the Ulema Council that as long as the legal basis is not adequate, slaughtering Damm in Indonesia is not yet permitted. Logically, this must still be done in Mecca," he said.
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However, he added that several Islamic organizations such as the Muhammadiyah, Persis, and a number of clerics from Nahdlatul Ulama have reportedly permitted the Damm sacrifice in the country.
Therefore, he has left the choice on whether to perform the Damm sacrifice in Saudi Arabia or Indonesia up to each individual.
"We only conveyed the considerations. For the implementation, it goes back to the pilgrims' beliefs and fatwas they believe in," the minister said.
For pilgrims choosing to perform the Damm sacrifice in the Holy Land, the entire slaughter and sacrifice process needs to be carried out through the Adahi Project, which is managed by Al-Hay'ah Al-Malikiyyah li Madinat Makkah wal-Masyair al-Muqaddasah.
Meanwhile, for pilgrims choosing to perform the sacrifice in their homeland, the process can be carried out through Indonesia's National Alms Agency (Baznas) and paid for through a designated official account.
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Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Katriana
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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