Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): Amid the growing concerns in the Muslim community whether the COVID vaccines are Halal (Permissible) or not, Sunni Muslims in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain have decided to take the shot only after a Fatwa (religious decree) will be issued by the scholars in Ujaain in this regard.
Mehboob Alam, a Sunni religious scholar said that Sunni Muslim society and others are awaiting the decision by the Sunni Ulema and doctors about taking the shot.
The approved Covid-19 vaccines have been met with a mixed response from the Islamic theological community, halal associations and halal pharmaceutical experts as to whether the vaccine is halal, despite various governments' approval, including those of many Muslim-majority countries.
In India, the controversy was stoked by Mumbai's Raza Academy, a Barelvi outfit, seeking details about all the vaccines being developed and whether they contain pork extract, from the WHO.
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The Indian Islamic scholars, as usual, are divided on the issue with the majority of them citing verses from the Holy Quran (Surah Nisa and Surah Baqara) to advocate for the vaccine but not giving clear-cut guidance to the Muslim populace.
The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has become the first Muslim body in India to categorically state that Muslims are permitted to use the vaccines, even if they contain pork extracts, as it sought to dispel all rumours suggesting otherwise.
In an advisory, the Shariah Council of the JIH said, "Islam gives great importance to human life and also emphasises on its protection."
It added, "If an impermissible object is transformed into another thing, totally different in properties and characters, it may be considered as 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."
With inputs from agency
