Indonesia’s MUI fatwa declares vaping haram, but no penalties follow

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) declared the use, production and sale of e-cigarettes haram in Fatwa No. 131/2026, signed on 6 November 2026. The religious ruling carries no automatic criminal penalty.

MUI announced the decision publicly on 9 November 2026. The fatwa was signed by Asrorun Niam Sholeh, the council’s chairman for fatwa affairs, and Aminuddin Yaqub, its deputy secretary-general for fatwa affairs.

MUI’s stated grounds are health risk, environmental damage and the risk that vape devices could be used to consume narcotics, psychotropic substances and other addictive drugs. In a statement published on MUI’s official website, Asrorun said the use of e-cigarettes or vapes is haram because they endanger health and damage the environment.

Businesses that make or sell vapes fall under the same ruling

MUI extends the haram designation beyond the consumer. Under the fatwa, producing and commercially selling e-cigarettes is also haram, not only using them.

The council called on the public, young people in particular, and companies in the vape trade to understand and comply with the ruling. That is an appeal rather than an enforcement power.

The fatwa describes e-cigarettes as battery-powered devices that heat liquids containing nicotine, glycerin and flavourings into an aerosol the user inhales. MUI framed the ruling partly as a way to keep the devices from being used to distribute or consume illegal drugs.

The ruling followed a request from the national police chief

National Police Chief Gen. Suyudi Ario Seto asked MUI to consider a fatwa on vaping during a visit to the council’s headquarters in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on 13 October 2026.

Suyudi warned that e-cigarettes could be misused to distribute and consume new forms of liquid narcotics, and said this posed risks to public health and safety. MUI’s fatwa incorporates those concerns alongside its own assessment of health and environmental harm.

MUI also received a separate request for a drug-enforcement position. The same police concern about vapes as a drug-distribution route appears in official coverage of Indonesia’s wider regulatory review. Reporting by Jakarta Globe notes that police and BPOM have recommended a vape ban while the government reviews its regulations.

Religious prohibition does not equal a criminal offence

The fatwa does not create penalties for consumers, manufacturers or retailers. Any government restriction or enforcement measure requires a separate legal basis.

MUI is a religious organisation, and its rulings are separate from regulations that the government enacts and enforces. Nothing in the source material shows the government adopting Fatwa No. 131/2026 as binding regulation.

VapeBrief’s analysis: for exporters and Shenzhen-based manufacturers shipping to Indonesia, the fatwa changes the compliance environment rather than the customs rulebook. Distributors may face retailer reluctance and religious-body pressure even while the goods remain legal under existing trade rules. Any pricing or order-timing effect depends on whether the government turns the fatwa into regulation, which the source does not state.

Who is affected and by what

The gap between the fatwa and enforcement is the practical question for the trade. A religious ruling can influence purchasing and retail decisions without creating a licensing or import barrier.

What comes next for Indonesian vape regulation

Indonesia’s government is separately reviewing its vape regulations, and police and BPOM have recommended a ban in that review, according to Jakarta Globe. No date for a government decision appears in the source material.

The fatwa takes effect as a religious ruling from its signing on 6 November 2026. Whether it acquires legal force depends on the government review, which remains unresolved in the available reporting.

Questions readers ask

Is vaping now illegal in Indonesia?

No. The MUI fatwa declares vaping haram under Islamic law, but a religious ruling does not create criminal penalties. Government restrictions would need a separate legal basis, and the government's own regulatory review is still described as ongoing.

Does the fatwa apply to vape shops and manufacturers?

Yes, in religious terms. MUI extends the haram designation to producing and commercially selling e-cigarettes, and urged industry businesses to comply, but the ruling does not by itself impose a legal penalty on them.