Preventative Measures in Islam
continued from page 13
certain people to take haram medication
in cases in which no other halal
alternatives were available. As such,
the fuqaha ( jurists) have stated that the
default ruling for medications would
be that they must be halal. However,
in cases of necessity in which there
are no other alternatives, there would
be leniency in taking medication that
contains haram ingredients. As for
what constitutes a valid necessity and
what does not, this would need to be
determined on a case-by-case basis.
Therefore, a person should refer
to his/her local scholars for specific
cases.
What about the side effects?
The Messenger of Allah a instructed
Muslims to avoid harming themselves
or others. This body we have been
given is entrusted to us by Allah, thus
we are not permitted to purposely
harm ourselves. As such, short-term
and long-term side effects are a factor
to consider when determining whether
one should take certain medications.
However, not all types of harm
are equal or would render medication
haram. In principle, if the benefits
outweigh the harms or the harm is
negligible, it would be permitted to
take such medication.
So, should I get vaccinated?
As mentioned at the beginning, the
purpose of this article is to analyze
medical treatment and preventative
measures from an Islamic perspective.
Although vaccines are a form of
preventative treatments and would
fall under the general principles of
adopting preventative measures,
whether or not a person should take a
specific vaccine is a personal question
that would need to be looked at on a
case-by-case basis. The reason for this
is that there are various factors that
would need to be considered, such as
the type of vaccine, the age of a person,
pre-existing conditions, allergies,
potential long-term and short-term
side effects, etc. Therefore, a person
should refer such questions to a reliable
Muslim physician who would be
able to advise him/her accordingly.
But what about the conspiracy theories?!
The purpose of this article is not to
refute or confirm any conspiracy
theory. In regard to what a Muslim’s
approach should be to conspiracy
theories in general, it should be noted
that conspiracy theories are of two
types:
1) Conspiracy theories that do not
have a practical impact on one’s
life. To actively engage in confirming
or refuting such theories
is futile and against the teachings
of Islam. The Messenger of Allah
a said, “It is from the beauty
of a person’s Islam for him/
her to leave that which does not
concern them” (Abu Dawud). For
example, was Neil Armstrong the
first person to walk on the moon
or was it all staged? This issue
does not affect anyone, nor would
there be any benefit in investigating
it.
2) Conspiracy theories which make
a practical difference to one’s
life. For example, does a certain
coronavirus vaccine cause certain
side effects that are not commonly
known? This is an issue that
could potentially affect a person
and impact his/her life. It would
be permissible to investigate such
arguments provided there is reasonable
basis for doubt. However,
one must exercise extreme caution
in vetting his/her source of
information whether it is credible
or not. To disseminate misinformation
or speak on issues
one is not qualified to speak on
could have grave consequences.
Consider the following incident
of the companions l: Jabir g
reports, “We were on a journey
and a person from among us was
struck by a stone and suffered
a head injury. Later, he experienced
a wet dream. He asked his
companions if he could perform
tayammum (dry ablution- due to
his head) injury instead of performing
ghusl. They said, “We do
not think there is any leniency in
this matter since you have access
to water.” The man then bathed
and died. When we returned to
the Messenger of Allah a and
informed him of what happened,
he said, “They killed him! May
Allah kill them! When they were
unsure (of the ruling), why did
they not ask? The only cure for
ignorance is to ask” (Abu Dawud).
The pain of the Messenger of Allah
a over the death of the sahabi is evidenced
in this hadith. He was angry
because his death could have been
prevented and because the people
who advised him were not qualified.
The lesson from the hadith is simple:
the information we pass on and the
advice we give has consequences. If
we are not qualified to pass judgement,
it is necessary for us to avoid
giving our opinions on such matters,
especially those matters that may lead
to the loss of life.
Above we presented some common
questions one may have regarding
medications and preventative measures
in general. In such uncertain
times in which it has become difficult
to discern truth from falsehood, it is
imperative that instead of focusing on
juicy conspiracy theories and engaging
storylines, we focus on what Allah
wants from us during this time and
what we should be doing to please
Him. O Allah! Give us the ability to
recognize the truth as the truth and
give us the ability to follow it. And
allow us to recognize falsehood as
falsehood and grant us the ability to
refrain from it. Ameen.
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