ne of the defining features of the sacred month of Ramadan, in addition to the obligatory fast, is the requirement to pay zakat fitrah alms. This particular zakat, unlike other forms of zakat, is obligatory for all Muslims and is analogous to a head tax, a uniform tax imposed upon every individual or, in this case, every Muslim.
Essentially, all able Muslims, provided they are not impoverished, are obliged to pay zakat fitrah, regardless of gender, profession or age. This religious duty, due to an extensive zakat payer base, has a relatively minimal requirement, amounting to only one sha’ of wheat or dates. According to Indonesian contemporary Islamic scholars, this quantity is equivalent to 2.5 kg or 3.5 liters of a staple food, mainly rice.
Philosophically, because this zakat is paid in the form of food and the payment is repeated annually, zakat fitrah appears to be an Islamic method of providing an annual wake-up call on the importance of attending to the matter of food security. The extensive zakat prayer base also implies a great urgency and this exhortation is addressed to all of us.
The matter of food security in Indonesia requires more attention and emphasis. Food security is not only about availability. Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) shows that Indonesia’s average dietary energy supply sufficiency is more than adequate, namely 126 percent in 2019-2021. This figure is also higher than the global average, which is 124 percent.
Nevertheless, according to the Global Hunger Index of 2022, Indonesia is placed 77th out of 121 nations. In Southeast Asia, Indonesia is only ahead of Laos (82nd) and East Timor (110th). Abundant food availability does not ensure the absence of hunger.
Among the four dimensions of food security (availability, access, utilization and stability), the matter of utilization is one of the most disquieting dimensions in Indonesia. Although food may be accessible, those who do have access may not necessarily be able to consume nutritionally adequate food. This is also the background to the grave issues of malnutrition and stunting in Indonesia.
The inadequate utilization of food is suggested to be a consequence of the exorbitant cost of a healthy diet. The FAO estimates that for Indonesians to be able to purchase a healthy diet, they must spend the equivalent of Rp 21,252 (US$1.44) a day. This figure may appear insignificant, but it means a family of four must allocate at least Rp 85,008 for food daily. This figure is the 16th most costly figure globally and the costliest in Southeast Asia.
The Institute for Demographic and Poverty Studies (IDEAS) recently discovered that, in 2021, a staggering 63.27 percent of Indonesians have expenditures on food that are below the threshold of what is considered to be nutritionally adequate.
Moreover, our assessment, based on the recommended dietary allowances (RDA) stipulated in Health Ministry Regulation No. 28/2019, shows that 75.69 percent of Indonesia’s populace fails to meet the RDA. The congruence of these figures attests to the fact that the source of this issue is the affordability of healthy and nutritious food.
Observing this problem, zakat fitrah, due to its underlying philosophy, should be one of the affirmative instruments in augmenting food utilization. Nevertheless, a thorough exploration of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) of zakat fitrah is essential so that it can be implemented as a genuine remedy for ameliorating food insecurity.
Disbursing zakat fitrah in the form of rice may not be the most effective way of addressing food insecurity in Indonesia. This is because there is virtually no disparity in rice consumption in our society. According to the IDEAS calculation for the Gini coefficient of rice consumption in 2022, the figure is a mere 0.02, indicating an exceedingly high level of equality. Both the rich and the poor consume rice in seemingly equal amounts.
In fact, 40 percent of the most destitute members of our population consume more rice than the affluent 20 percent of the wealthiest. On average, each person in the lowest 40 percent of society consumes 80.37 kilograms of rice annually, while each individual in the uppermost 20 percent of society only consumes 77.42 kg of rice per annum, indicating that rice is an inferior good.
This is in stark contrast to the consumption of beef and mutton, as well as preserved meats such as sausages, shredded meat, floss, nuggets and the like. With respect to the consumption of beef and mutton, for instance, on average, each person in the most destitute 10 percent of society only consumes 40 grams of beef and mutton in a year. In comparison, on average, each individual in the most affluent 10 percent of society can consume 2.69 kg of beef and mutton in a year.
A staggering 65.90 percent of national household consumption of beef and mutton in a year is done by the wealthiest 20 percent of the population. A comparable proportion is also observed in national household consumption of preserved meat, which is 52.76 percent. This pronounced disparity has resulted in exceedingly high Gini coefficients for these two commodities, namely 0.61 and 0.49 respectively.
Most poor people, due to their limited income, are unable to purchase a wide array of food, particularly beef, mutton and preserved meat. Consequently, they compensate for this inability by consuming more rice.
Allowing the payment of zakat fitrah by converting the value of rice into money has been an expedient form of exploration of contemporary fiqh.
Moving ahead, by holding the amount paid by the payers in the form of cash anchored to the initial rice benchmark and without stringent sharia regulations limiting the amount that can be received by the recipients, the conversion of collected zakat fitrah funds to other types of commodities besides rice, such as beef, has the potential for greater prosperity (maslahah).
IDEAS has predicted that the zakat fitrah funds amassed in 2022 could reach at least Rp 4.7 trillion. If this sum were to be converted into, for example, beef, it would equate to a total of 41.96 thousand tonnes, more than enough to provide 1 kg of beef to each of the approximately 24 million impoverished Muslims in Indonesia.
Although I consider myself a relative layman in fiqh, by considering maslahah, the usul fiqh method of maslahah mursalah can provide possibilities for exploration of the fiqh of zakat fitrah.
The disbursement of all zakat fitrah funds must be accomplished prior to Idul Fitri, thus demonstrating one of the valuable ideas of zakat fitrah: to equitably share happiness on Idul Fitri.
In essence, we all hope the poor can celebrate Idul Fitri in the same manner as the rich. As the poor already have been consuming more rice and less meat than the rich, if they are only given rice, how is the Day of Victory different from any other?
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The writer is an economist at the Institute for Demographic and Poverty Studies (IDEAS) and former teaching assistant at the Islamic Economics Undergraduate Study Program of the University of Indonesia. The views presented are personal.