Shariah Council of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has issued guidelines on the permissibility of using COVID-19 vaccines under Islamic law.
Various pharmaceutical companies worldwide are finalising COVID-19 vaccines and even several countries have started their mass immunisation programmes. The Indian health authority has also announced that vaccination will begin soon and multinational companies have requested the government to allow them to use the vaccine. However, the reports of the extract of pork fat in vaccines, have raised concerns among Muslims.
The guidelines, which were issued by Shariah Council’s President Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari and its Secretary Maulana Dr. Muhammad Raziul Islam Nadvi, said, “According to some sources, the corona vaccine contains ingredients derived from pork fat. From an Islamic point of view, a pig is completely impure and unclean. Many people have requested the Shariah Council to give Islamic guidance in this matter. After deliberating on the matter with other scholars of the council, following guidelines have been issued.”
The guidelines issued by the Shariah council:
- Experiments are taking place in various countries and many companies are working on developing the vaccine. It is not sure that pork fat is used in every vaccine. Muslims too are there among the scientists and doctors who are preparing the vaccines. Recently, a news came from Turkey that a Muslim scientist couple had prepared the vaccine. On this basis, it is expected that such a vaccine will be made of only halal ingredients.
- Islam gives great importance to human life and also emphasises on its protection. Allah says: “And do not kill each other or yourselves.” (Quran- 4:29)
- Islam instructs proper treatment of illness.
- Islam has clearly outlined limits of permissible and impermissible things. It is mandatory to abide by these limitations even during ailments or while taking precautionary measures. That is why the use of any forbidden substance as a medicine is prohibited.
- If an impermissible object is transformed into another thing, totally different in properties and characters, may be considered clean and permissible. On this basis, the use of Gelatine derived from the body part of a haram animal has been considered to be permissible by Islamic jurists. Same is the opinion of some jurists about pork Gelatine.
- Even the jurists, who disagree with the above transformation rule, too sanction a vaccine which contains prohibited substances in case of unavailability of halal vaccines, in dire and emergency situations to protect human life.
- The source of ingredients of the popular vaccines, which have been made public, is not yet known with certainty. After becoming fully aware of it, guidelines regarding its use or non-use will be issued.