LAHORE: Clerics have appealed to the people to get vaccinated and take precautionary measures against the coronavirus as the pandemic was surging in the country.

In a joint statement issued here on Saturday, the Pakistan Ulema Council chairman and Special Assistan to Prime Minister on Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi and other leaders said the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic was very alarming and had become threatening for the humanity. They prayed to Allah Almighty to save the humanity from the pandemic.The clerics said those who were saying no to the corona vaccine were in fact unfamiliar with religion and conventional sciences. They said that Islamic scholars had unanimously agreed that the corona vaccine could also be administered during fasting.

They also thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan for his statement on the implementation of precautionary measures against Covid -19 in the mosques.

Meanwhile, Darul Iftaa Pakistan has also issued a fatwa, terming the corona vaccine a need of the hour under the prevailing circumstances, adding that the vaccination was in accordance with Islamic laws.

The body, in consultation with the various Islamic scholars and Muftis, also issued a fatwa stating that it was the responsibility of every human being to get vaccinated against the coronavirus and that Islamic Shariah commanded its followers to avoid suffering and to save others.

The clerics warned the people against spreading rumors about the corona vaccine. They said the Muslim countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Jurisprudence Council in Jeddah, and Egypt, had declared it obligatory under the Shariah to get vaccinated against Covid-19 to protect themselves and others.

The distance that the medical experts had advised between the worshipers falls under the category of compulsion and necessity. Therefore, prayers could be performed with spacing.

They said the fatwa was issued after a series of meetings presided over by Imam-e-Kaaba, Sheikh Saleh bin Hameed, at the Islamic Jurisprudence Council in Jeddah, which operates under the auspices of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Leading personalities of Muslim world, including Imam-e-Kaaba Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, President of Palestine and other important Muslim leaders had been vaccinated, they added.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2021