In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever-Merciful…
The following is a question posed to Shaykh Dr. Arafat bin Hassan al-Muhammadi (may Allah bless and preserve him) [1], on a topic which many genuinely confused Muslims may be considering due to the heavy amount of misinformation spread on social media. The reader will note that our senior scholars and their top students continue to offer sober and consistent advice about how Muslims are to return these important matters back to the scholars who are qualified to deal with matters of global safety and urgent concerns which affect the religion, health, and safety of millions of Muslims. May Allah allow this advice to reach receptive hearts.
QUESTION: May Allah be kind to you, dear virtuous shaykh, there is a questioner from France who asks: Our shaykh -may Allah bless you-, the French government has passed a law that requires vaccinations against Coronavirus for many segments of the population. Restrictions will prevent people from entering many public places, traveling, and other things, unless a person can show medical records which confirm that he, the bearer of the records, is fully vaccinated. Due to what people share from some news sources and social media outlets regarding these vaccinations, that they are potentially harmful to one’s health, or that they are a worldwide conspiracy to wipe out mankind, some people are considering ways to avoid this vaccination, like paying money to someone who would provide him with forged documents, or conspiring with a doctor to lie and say that he is fully vaccinated.
So the question then, our shaykh -may Allah bless you- is: What is the ruling on doing this? And we would like you to direct some advice to the Muslims who are affected by everything being shared in the media, to the point that some of them even criticize the scholars who have taken the vaccine in the kingdom and elsewhere, saying: “They are remaining silent about this plot out of fear of punishment from the rulers,” and Allah is the One sought for aid. May Allah bless you and benefit people by you and your knowledge.
ANSWER by Shaykh Dr. Arafat bin Hassan al-Muhammadi (may reward him generously):
Regarding this question, people are sadly believing everyone who talks now. Someone says something in the newspapers, he is believed. Someone says something on a TV channel, he is believed, and so on! [2]
We say to the people, and we say to the brothers asking the question and others: Refer back to your scholars! Refer back to your scholars in nawaazil (i.e. crises, issues of urgency when qualified and trusted fatwas are needed)! Refer back to those whom Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has placed in charge of our affair, from the governmental leaders and from the scholars. Allah says in the Quran:
وإذا جاءهم أمر من الأمن أو الخوف أذاعوا به ولو ردوه إلى الرسول وإلى أولي الأمر منهم لعلمه الذين يستنبطونه منهم
“And when an affair of [public] safety or concern comes to them, they spread it. Yet, had they only referred the matter back to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those who extract [rulings] among them would have known it (i.e. the correct ruling).” [4:83]
So we say: Indeed the scholars have issued verdicts that this affair (i.e. vaccination) is permissible, that it is allowed, and that there is no problem with it. Moreover, the scholars themselves, among our own virtuous mashaayikh and scholars, have done that; they have taken this vaccine, and the rulers have also taken it. And millions of Muslims have taken it as well, and nothing of the matters those people thought might happen has happened, like the things people falsely assumed would be part of some scheme [to harm people], and that this or that would happen. Those are all just figments of imagination, and I worry -or rather I say decisively- that they are coming from the enemies of Islam, in order to spread confusion among the people of Islam, and to spark clashes as well, so that people would stand against their leaders and against their scholars, in acts of rebellion, or with [rebellious] words from the minbars or in the newspapers, until the people lose trust in their scholars and rulers. So I advise all of the brothers to return these matters back to the scholars [for rulings], to fear Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, within themselves, to abandon excessive speech, and to occupy themselves with what benefits them.
And as for what is related to producing such a card, one which validates that he is vaccinated or that he has taken the vaccine, while he has not actually done that, we say: This is not permissible. This is a kind of zoor (conspiracy of falsehood), when you say that you did something which you have not done, and that you took [a vaccine] which you have not taken, and then you bring out this [false] document, and you may have even paid money for it! Zoor is one of the major sins! [3] So just be truthful in your speech and in your actions, and do not do this. Do not do something you will need to apologize for later! If the reality became known, you would be in a situation no one could admire, a terrible situation! It would be said to the people: “So-and-So falsifies [information], and he is pleased with forgery! He claims that he has taken the shot, yet he never took it.” So let us fear Allah within ourselves, and let us be truthful in our statements and our actions. [4]
SOURCE: This Q&A published on 1442/12/19:
Alternate links: MP3 | Youtube
Translation by: Moosaa Richardson
rev.qm.sb
FOOTNOTES (by the Translator):
[1] Shaykh Dr. Arafat bin Hassan al-Muhammadi is a student of some of today’s senior scholars who is active on Twitter (@Arafatbinhassan) and conducts many regular classes which are made available on his website (http://arafatbinhassan.com). May Allah bless him and reward him generously.
[2] The Mufti, Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez Aal Shaykh (may Allah preserve him), reminds the Muslims not to spread rumors or frighten people during this pandemic in Point #6 of this article: https://www.bakkah.net/en/nine-advices-as-relates-the-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-shaykh-abdul-azeez-aal-shaykh.htm
[3] Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) said:
أكبر الكبائر: الإشراك بالله، وقتل النفس، وعقوق الوالدين، وقول الزور
“The most serious of the major sins are: Setting up partners in one’s worship of Allah, murder, bad treatment of one’s parents, and speech of zoor (falsehood and conspiracy)!”
It was collected by al-Bukhaaree (6871) and Muslim (88). This is Muslim’s wording.
[4] It is important to remind ourselves that any claims that we are excused for lying, deceiving, and forging documents, and for cooperating with others in doing these things, are very serious fatwas that need evidence, and they need to come from qualified scholars. The textual proofs for the obligation of honesty and the prohibition of lying and deception are too numerous and too abundantly clear to be put aside without evidence. And as our beloved and respected teachers in the West (may Allah bless them and give them success) remind us constantly, by transmitting the words of our senior scholars: Fatwas devoid of evidence, contrary to evidence, even if they were from highly qualified scholars, are not accepted nor acted upon. So, if someone suggests to you that lying, conspiracy, deception, forging false documents, and other acts of trickery are permissible or excusable, in order to avoid the vaccine in some specific circumstances, simply ask for evidence and say: “As this fatwa is very serious, potentially landing me in a number of destructive major sins (if it is incorrect), please direct me to the evidence for this from the Book and the Sunnah, and to which of our scholars have directed us to this course of action in this situation.”
FURTHER RESOURCES ON THE TOPIC:
PDF: Nine Advices As Relates the Novel Coronavirus by the Mufti Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez Aal Shaykh
PDF: Advice of Shaykh ‘Abdullah al-Bukhari About Coronavirus
Video: Healthy, Realistic, Practical Optimism During the Coronavirus Outbreak (Youtube)
PDF: Fleeing From the Decree to the Decree [Rahmaaniyyah, Abul-Hasan Maalik]
Video: Don’t Downplay the Seriousness of the Coronavirus! (Youtube)
MP3 Audio: Key Lessons About the Coronavirus [Hassan Somali]
PDF: The Issue of Contagion – An Islamic Perspective [Taqweem Aslam]
Article: What Blessings Could Come From the Closing of Masjids?!
Khutbah: Coronavirus – How Muslims Understand it & Other Epidemics
MP3 Audio: Q&A About Coronavirus Conspiracy Theorists [Hassan Somali]