Doubts and Suspicions about Polio Vaccines and Their Responses
Mufti Shamsurahman Frotan
National Islamic Advisory Group Focal Point
Preface:
There are doubts and concerns regarding the polio vaccine which are completely baseless and are based on wrong Fatwas misinformation. People refuse to vaccinate their children against polio due to the misinformation and the wrong Fatwas and because of this; they put the children at risk of polio disease.
In This article, I explained doubts and suspicions first and later on provided reasonable responses to each one of them.
The doubts and suspicions:
Doubt and Suspicion 1: The polio vaccine is imported from Western countries, the Westerners harm the Muslims with this vaccine and want to sterilize Muslims and weaken their sexual power.
Doubt and Suspicion 2: There is the oil and fat of the fig in the polio vaccine therefore it is Haram.
Doubt and Suspicion 3: Administering the polio vaccine is against trusting in Allah (SWT) and suspending the will of Allah Almighty.
Doubt and Suspicion 4: The polio vaccine has side effects, when children are vaccinated against polio, they get fever and body pain.
The Responds to the Above Doubts and Suspicions
The response for the first doubt and suspicion: The doubt and suspicion is that the polio vaccine is imported from Western countries, the Westerners harm the Muslims with this vaccine and want to sterilize Muslims and weaken their sexual power.
This suspicion is nothing more than fear. It is a baseless claim and no evidence of the claim is found. Millions of children are vaccinated against polio in Muslim countries around the world but no infertility and sexual weakness is witnessed in those children in the whole of their life.
In the Muslim world, there are developed and advanced countries that can analyze and investigate the polio vaccine but they have not found such material and substance in the vaccine, which sterilizes and sexually weakens the children.
Moreover, the importation of the polio vaccine from Western countries cannot be the reason for it being Haram but the polio vaccine is prevention and wisdom, knowledge and wisdom are like something lost by Muslims, wherever he/she finds it, it is their own.
Allah (SWT) does not forbid us from interacting with non-Muslims, regarding this, Allah Almighty says:
﴾لَا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُمْ مِنْ دِيَارِكُمْ أَنْ تَبَرُّوهُمْ وَتُقْسِطُوا إِلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ ﴿۸
Translation: “Allah does not forbid you to be kind and to act justly to those who have neither made war on your Religion nor expelled you from your homes. Allah loves the just.” Verse # 8, Surah Al-Mumtahanah.
This verse of the holy Quran shows that Muslims are not prohibited from communication and interaction with non-Muslims, in case no evil or harm comes to Muslims from non-Muslims and the interaction and communication do not cause weakness and loss to Muslims.
Therefore, there is no limitation in trade or importing the polio vaccine from Western countries, whether none of them creates any harm to Muslims.
If we pay attention to the reality, we will comprehend that in Muslim countries, the population of the Muslim countries is more than the population of the countries where the followers of other religions live. The generation of Muslims is more than the followers of other religions and it proves that the polio and other vaccines did not have a negative impact on the population of Muslims. Day by day the population of Muslims is increasing.
If we call the polio vaccine haram because of its importation from Western countries, then we see many food items and medicines are imported from Western countries, so why there is no concern and doubt about those things?
The response to the Second doubt and suspicion: The doubt and suspicion is that there is the oil and fat of the fig in the polio vaccine therefore it is Haram.
The response to this doubt or suspicion is that the presence of the oil and fat of the pig in the polio vaccine is not based on any scientific research. The polio vaccine has been administered in Muslim countries and it is produced under the supervision of Muslims and non-Muslims. Until now, no Muslim country or Muslim person said that the oil and fat of the pig in the polio vaccine.
In the Muslim world, some doctors can analyze and investigate the polio vaccine in labs, that are under the control of Muslims, and even today, there are many facilities and possibilities for new technology in the Muslim world. If there is anything haram in the polio vaccine, the Muslim doctors will let us know.
Additionally, if we suppose that non-Muslims and enemies of Muslims mix any haram thing in the polio vaccine or there is oil or fat of the pig that causes sterility and sexual weakness in Muslim children, then why do not they do it in other medicines?
The Muslims utilize medicines like paracetamol tablets, so why non-Muslims do not mix the haram things in those medicines?
Suppose that the oil and fat of the pig is one of the contents of the polio vaccine, based on what necessity do the non-Muslims do this work? In such a case, the truth is altered, and everything that changes the truth does not remain in its original state. For example, if you change the wine to vinegar, the wine is changed to vinegar, the wine is Haram but the vinegar is not haram even if it is made of wine.
Assume that the oil and fat of the pig in the polio vaccine is a conspiracy of the non-Muslims, please think wisely and if the Muslims directly eat the pork and fat of the pig, what can be the benefit of it for the non-Muslims? We should think carefully, there is no benefit of Muslims eating pork or fat of the pig for non-Muslims. Mixing anything haram in the polio vaccine does not have any benefit for the non-Muslims. It was just a rumor and misinformation that put people in doubt.
