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Asep Syaefullah is quite renowned around the streets of Bendungan Hilir in Central Jakarta. The 53-year-old has worked as a caretaker at a privately-run high school in Benhil for 33 years — but it’s not his day job that has given him special status among Benhil residents.

For the past 15 years, Asep has been moonlighting as a butcher, particularly for Idul Adha. On this day, Muslims around the world sacrifice animals to commemorate the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim to surrender his son, Ismael, to God.

It is said that the prophet dreamed he had killed his son. Believing it was a command from God, Ismael asked his father to carry out his dream. Just as Ismael lay down to be killed, God told Ibrahim not to do so and to sacrifice an animal instead.

“Go to Pak Asep. He’s the man for the job,” said a member of the Idul Adha committee at a Benhil mosque, when asked if he knew of any butchers in the area who would slaughter an animal as a sacrifice.

A young mother gave the same answer.

“Just go and see Pak Asep. He lives over there in the school compound,” she said.

Short and stocky, with a mustache and beard, Asep seems to fit the general stereotype of a butcher. Together with his younger brother, Usman, the father of two has been a member of the Idul Adha committee at Muhammadiyah secondary school for years.

“It’s pretty simple,” said Asep when asked about preparing for Idul Adha. “Just sharpen the machete. That’s all.”

He said a well-kept machete was the most important tool when slaughtering an animal. The animals, he added, should not suffer too much and a keen blade helped to hasten their death.

“You know how it feels when you accidentally cut your skin on bamboo? The animal should not even feel pain like that,” he said. “That’s why it is very important to prepare the machete.”

Asep has a special way of checking to see if his machete is up to scratch, one he said he learned from other butchers many years ago.

“Just run the blade along your hair like you are trimming it,” he said, his right hand drawing the machete over his head. “If you can cut some hair, then you can be sure the machete is ready to use.”

When slaughtering a goat, he said, one slash is usually enough to cut its throat. But it can take twice the amount of force for cows.

“A cow’s skin is very thick. You have to slash it a couple of times,” he said. “I can slaughter a goat by myself, but for a cow, I need at least three people to help me.

“A cow will struggle to free himself. And that’s when they can kick you really hard.”

Asep knows this all too well. During last year’s Idul Adha, he was kicked in the chest by a cow.

“[The bruises] didn’t fade for weeks,” he said with a rueful grin.

Every year, Asep slaughters no less than eight cows and 40 goats on Idul Adha, which falls on the tenth day of Zulhijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. The backbreaking work is usually completed within three hours.

“There are two important things when slaughtering an animal for Idul Adha. First, we direct the head of the beast toward the qibla [the direction of the Kaaba, the sacred building in Mecca, to which Muslims turn for prayer]. Second, we have to say ‘Bismillahi Allahu akbar’ [‘In the name of Allah, Allah is great’]. These two things are compulsory.”

His main duty as a butcher is to slaughter the animals, and he leaves the other tasks, such as skinning and cutting the meat, to other members of the committee.

“But when I’m done with slaughtering, I can help them with that, too,” he said.

Krisnandana, a veterinarian from the Veterinary Public Health division at the Ministry of Agriculture, said the ministry recommended butchers follow its guidelines for Idul Adha.

“In general, the slaughter of an animal should be conducted in a slaughterhouse. However, for religious or personal reasons, it can be done outside, but it should be supervised by a qualified person, such as a veterinarian.”

He added that the slaughtering should meet the ministry’s hygiene and sanitation requirements: The area should have clean water and holes dug in the ground for blood drainage and to bury the entrails.

Before Idul Adha, the committee at a local mosque registers the names of poor families in the neighborhood and distributes coupons so that they can receive the meat of the slaughtered animals. The members of the committee are also given some meat for their efforts.

On the night of Idul Adha, many people use the meat to make holiday dishes, such as sate kambing (skewers of meat with peanut sauce) and goat’s meat and bone soup.

In addition to Idul Adha, customers also call upon Asep to slaughter goats for aqiqah, the Islamic ritual of shaving a baby’s hair for the first time, usually on the seventh day after birth.

Asep’s skills with a knife have also taken him further afield, to Bogor, as word of mouth advertises his reputation for slaughtering animals.

“People tell other people,” he said.

However, Asep has one rule — he never charges his customers.

“But they always give me money for doing it,” he said.

When asked to slaughter a cow, he said, he usually receives Rp 200,000 ($20), and a minimum of Rp 50,000 for goats.

“But really, I don’t ask for money, let alone set prices,” he said. “It’s for lillahi ta’ala [for the sake of Allah Almighty].”

When asked if he ever felt bad for the animals, Asep smiled and shook his head.

“I guess it is part of their fate as an animal,” he said. “I know that slaughtering an animal is part of Islamic teachings, so I don’t regret doing my job.”

Asep Syaefullah is quite renowned around the streets of Bendungan Hilir in Central Jakarta. The 53-year-old has worked as a caretaker at a privately-run high school in Benhil for 33 years — but it’s not his day job that has given him special status among Benhil residents.

For the past 15 years, Asep has been moonlighting as a butcher, particularly for Idul Adha. On this day, Muslims around the world sacrifice animals to commemorate the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim to surrender his son, Ismael, to God.

It is said that the prophet dreamed he had killed his son. Believing it was a command from God, Ismael asked his father to carry out his dream. Just as Ismael lay down to be killed, God told Ibrahim not to do so and to sacrifice an animal instead.

“Go to Pak Asep. He’s the man for the job,” said a member of the Idul Adha committee at a Benhil mosque, when asked if he knew of any butchers in the area who would slaughter an animal as a sacrifice.

A young mother gave the same answer.

“Just go and see Pak Asep. He lives over there in the school compound,” she said.

Short and stocky, with a mustache and beard, Asep seems to fit the general stereotype of a butcher. Together with his younger brother, Usman, the father of two has been a member of the Idul Adha committee at Muhammadiyah secondary school for years.

“It’s pretty simple,” said Asep when asked about preparing for Idul Adha. “Just sharpen the machete. That’s all.”

He said a well-kept machete was the most important tool when slaughtering an animal. The animals, he added, should not suffer too much and a keen blade helped to hasten their death.

“You know how it feels when you accidentally cut your skin on bamboo? The animal should not even feel pain like that,” he said. “That’s why it is very important to prepare the machete.”

Asep has a special way of checking to see if his machete is up to scratch, one he said he learned from other butchers many years ago.

“Just run the blade along your hair like you are trimming it,” he said, his right hand drawing the machete over his head. “If you can cut some hair, then you can be sure the machete is ready to use.”

When slaughtering a goat, he said, one slash is usually enough to cut its throat. But it can take twice the amount of force for cows.

“A cow’s skin is very thick. You have to slash it a couple of times,” he said. “I can slaughter a goat by myself, but for a cow, I need at least three people to help me.

“A cow will struggle to free himself. And that’s when they can kick you really hard.”

Asep knows this all too well. During last year’s Idul Adha, he was kicked in the chest by a cow.

“[The bruises] didn’t fade for weeks,” he said with a rueful grin.

Every year, Asep slaughters no less than eight cows and 40 goats on Idul Adha, which falls on the tenth day of Zulhijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. The backbreaking work is usually completed within three hours.

“There are two important things when slaughtering an animal for Idul Adha. First, we direct the head of the beast toward the qibla [the direction of the Kaaba, the sacred building in Mecca, to which Muslims turn for prayer]. Second, we have to say ‘ Bismillahi Allahu akbar ’ [‘In the name of Allah, Allah is great’]. These two things are compulsory.”

His main duty as a butcher is to slaughter the animals, and he leaves the other tasks, such as skinning and cutting the meat, to other members of the committee.

“But when I’m done with slaughtering, I can help them with that, too,” he said.

Krisnandana, a veterinarian from the Veterinary Public Health division at the Ministry of Agriculture, said the ministry recommended butchers follow its guidelines for Idul Adha.

“In general, the slaughter of an animal should be conducted in a slaughterhouse. However, for religious or personal reasons, it can be done outside, but it should be supervised by a qualified person, such as a veterinarian.”

He added that the slaughtering should meet the ministry’s hygiene and sanitation requirements: The area should have clean water and holes dug in the ground for blood drainage and to bury the entrails.

Before Idul Adha, the committee at a local mosque registers the names of poor families in the neighborhood and distributes coupons so that they can receive the meat of the slaughtered animals. The members of the committee are also given some meat for their efforts.

On the night of Idul Adha, many people use the meat to make holiday dishes, such as sate kambing (skewers of meat with peanut sauce) and goat’s meat and bone soup.

In addition to Idul Adha, customers also call upon Asep to slaughter goats for aqiqah , the Islamic ritual of shaving a baby’s hair for the first time, usually on the seventh day after birth.

Asep’s skills with a knife have also taken him further afield, to Bogor, as word of mouth advertises his reputation for slaughtering animals.

“People tell other people,” he said.

However, Asep has one rule — he never charges his customers.

“But they always give me money for doing it,” he said.

When asked to slaughter a cow, he said, he usually receives Rp 200,000 ($20), and a minimum of Rp 50,000 for goats.

“But really, I don’t ask for money, let alone set prices,” he said. “It’s for lillahi ta’ala [for the sake of Allah Almighty].”

When asked if he ever felt bad for the animals, Asep smiled and shook his head.

“I guess it is part of their fate as an animal,” he said. “I know that slaughtering an animal is part of Islamic teachings, so I don’t regret doing my job.”


Goat Seller Makes A Killing on Holiday

An elderly woman stopped by a bamboo pen filled with goats. She stood for a while, her eyes roaming over the beasts.

“A few days before Idul Adha, people will just look around, comparing prices, but they don’t usually buy until two or three days before the big day,” said Abdul Hamid, a goat seller in Benhil.

Pak Haji, as he is known by his regular customers, has been selling goats for Idul Adha for 15 years. Throughout the rest of the year, the 45-year-old sells chickens in Pasar Benhil, a traditional market in the area.

About 150 goats are brought from his hometown in Cirebon, West Java, usually five days before the festival. The goats, brought to Jakarta in large trucks, are purchased from a middle man who buys them from individuals in several villages in Cirebon, he said.

Abdul said that over the last 15 years, he had only once failed to sell all of his goats for the Muslim holiday.

“I guess I just bought too many at that time,” he said. “I don’t know why I insisted on buying more than 200 [goats] that year.”

The prices, he said, range from Rp 800,000 for goats weighing 15 kilograms and Rp 2.5 million for those between 50 and 60 kilograms.

“I don’t actually like to play with prices with my customers,” he said. “But I know they like negotiating, so I usually add Rp 200,000 [$20] [to the original price] at the start of bargaining.”

Over the years, Pak Haji has gained a following of loyal customers who return year after year for the holiday.

“An Islamic foundation in Manggarai [South Jakarta] purchases 30 to 35 goats every Idul Adha,” he said.

“But all customers are the same,” Abdul said. “Selling all of my goats is what matters the most.”