Realizing Public Welfare from the Nation's Kitchen: A Fiqh Siyasah Perspective on the Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG) and Its Impact on the Muslim Community

The Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG) program is a government social policy designed to enhance public welfare, particularly for low-income groups vulnerable to malnutrition and poverty. This policy functions not only as a form of food assistance but also as an instrument of economic redistribution and a means of strengthening social solidarity at the grassroots level. From the perspective of fiqh siyasah (Islamic political jurisprudence), public policy should be grounded in the principles of justice (al-‘adālah) and public welfare (al-maṣlaḥah al-‘āmmah), ensuring equitable and sustainable prosperity for all members of society. This study employs a qualitative field research approach. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with program beneficiaries, school administrators, religious leaders, and local government officials involved in the implementation of the MBG program. Direct observations were also conducted in several schools and Muslim communities within the study area to obtain empirical insights into the program's implementation and impact. Secondary sources, including policy documents, government reports, and scholarly literature on public policy from an Islamic perspective, complemented primary data. The findings reveal that the MBG program has had a positive impact by reducing the economic burden on low-income families, increasing school attendance among children, and strengthening social cohesion within Muslim communities. However, several challenges remain, including delays in distribution, limited budgets, and a lack of transparency in fund management. Based on a fiqh siyasah analysis, the success of such public policies largely depends on the integrity (amānah) and accountability of their administrators. Therefore, participatory and transparent governance is essential to ensure that the MBG program truly promotes maṣlaḥah (public good) in accordance with the objectives of maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah—to realize justice and social welfare for the community. The academic contribution of this study lies in its effort to link empirical evidence on social policy with the theoretical framework of fiqh siyasah, offering a new perspective on Islamic value-based public governance. It enriches contemporary Islamic legal scholarship by integrating the principles of distributive justice, moral accountability, and Islamic governance ethics into public policy analysis. Furthermore, it proposes a conceptual model illustrating how fiqh siyasah can be practically applied in the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of social policies in modern states.