Covid-19 vaccination allowed under Islamic rules, says Zulkifli

PETALING JAYA: Vaccination against the Covid-19 virus is permissible under the Islamic Rules on the Use of Vaccines, says Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri (pic).

He said this was decided during the Muzakarah Committee of the National Council on Islamic Affairs’ 10th special meeting on Dec 3.

“The meeting decided that the ruling on using Covid-19 vaccine is permissible (harus) and it is compulsory for those the government has decided on.

“This decision has also been presented to the Conference of Rulers.

“In this context, I call on all Malaysians, particularly the Muslims, to adhere and give their full trust to the government’s move in an effort to combat the Covid-19 pandemic through the use of vaccines, ” he said in a statement yesterday.

Zulkifli said the use of vaccines for protection from dangerous disease was not a foreign matter under Islamic law, adding that this was proven by six previous decisions taken by the Muzakarah Committee between 1988 and 2013 on the use of vaccines against rubella (1988), hepatitis B(1988), measles, tuberculosis, whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus and polio (1989), meningococcal meningitis (2002 and reviewed in 2014), human papillomavirus (2010) and meningitis menveo (2013).

On the international stage, he said global fatwa (edict) institutions had issued fatwa on the permissibility of the use of vaccines, among which were the al-Azhar al-Sharif and United Arab Emirates’ National Fatwa Council.

“On the issue of Covid-19 vaccination, it is a decision by the government. This is because the government is required to make a decision that brings about the most benefit to the people after taking into consideration various factors as well as obtaining views from experts and authorities, ” he said.