Sawt Alhikma Center of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation commended the efforts exerted  by a number of leaders of Muslim communities in countries of the Western world, to confront the rumors that have spread recently about Covid-19 vaccines, which claimed that the vaccines do not suit Muslims or are forbidden under Islamic law.

 The center stated that the rumors about vaccinations made many Muslims in Europe and America hesitant to take the vaccine, despite their need for them, after the spread of misleading information on Social Media claiming that the philosophy of vaccines that use the disease itself to acquire immunity is not permissible under Sharia law.

 The Center added that the leaders of Muslim communities have assumed their religious and humanitarian responsibilities in addressing this dangerous phenomenon, through organizing a number of local campaigns and initiatives in many countries. Eventually, they managed to warn against those rumors, using the help of mosque imams, doctors, specialized scientists and other public figures, who had an influential role in presenting Scientific and religious evidence of the safety of vaccines. Accordingly, many Muslims changed their opinions and started taking the vaccine.

These initiatives were also keen to establish stationary and mobile clinics authorized to provide vaccines for Muslims and non-Muslims, to assist the national campaigns that began in many countries of the Western world to vaccinate all residents. They also had a significant impact on showing the prominent humanitarian role of Muslims in their societies.

 The center expressed great surprise that such rumors about the vaccine spread among Muslims, who were known as pioneers in using vaccines. Historically, Muslims resorted to vaccinating their bodies with the disease itself to strengthen them against dangerous diseases. In fact, historical evidence indicates that vaccination against diseases was an old practice common among Muslims, which Avicenna (Ibn Sina) described in his book Al-Qanoon (The Canon of Medicine) in the 11th century AD. That method, called “The Tawtein”, was passed on by Muslims to the Europeans in the late 18th century, and then to the rest of the world.

The Center called on all Muslims in various countries of the world to take vaccines and act according to the fatwa (Islamic ruling) issued by International Islamic Fiqh Academy of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in February 2021. That fatwa stipulated that the use of available vaccines against Covid-19 is permissible in Islam, and their use becomes obligatory upon everyone if the authorities oblige to do so. The academy stressed the need to ignore the rumors and listen only to the directives of the approved official authorities in this regard, headed by WHO, so that the world can overcome this crisis and return to normal life again as soon as possible.