Our simple advice: have the COVID-19 vaccination as soon as it is offered to you. Insha’Allah, this is the best way to tackle the spread of this coronavirus, a disease that has taken so many lives and caused unprecedented disruption. It offers hope of a return to normality, protecting ourselves, those we love, and everyone in our communities.

If you are 70 or over and have not had a COVID-19 vaccination already, you can call AT Medics on 020 7364 3030 to book an appointment. This free service is available for both men and women.

We know there is a cure

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ informed us:

There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment.

{Bukhari}

Alhamdulillah, there are now several approved COVID-19 vaccines in the UK. We commend the extraordinary effort of those who laboured to develop the vaccines. But we recognise first and foremost that, as with all medicines, any benefit is from Allah, to Whom we must give thanks and praise.

The good news is that results show the vaccines are not only very safe to use, they offer a high level of protection; and in those cases where people still get infected, they are much less likely to be hospitalised. This is a great blessing from Allah, an answer to our prayers!

Messages from our Imams

Our Head Imam, Shaykh Abdul Qayum, who himself insha’Allah is recovering from COVID-19, has this message:

This pandemic has been a trial for humanity, but Allah reassures us in the Qur’an that after hardship comes ease. I have listened carefully to the advice of Muslim medical experts. Let us take the vaccine when it is offered to us, and pray that insha’Allah it brings us the benefit we seek. Our thoughts and prayers are with the many people who have lost loved ones, and we are grateful for the dedication and commitment of NHS and frontline workers who are helping those afflicted by COVID-19.

Our Senior Imam, Shaykh Mohammed Mahmoud, has also advised us in a video message:

Avoid misinformation

Sadly, false stories against vaccines are being circulated. There is evidence that some of these hoaxes deliberately target Muslims and minority groups. Many myths surrounding the vaccine have been dispelled by the British Islamic Medical Association, you can find local information about the COVID-19 vaccination programme from the East London Health & Care Partnership, and answers to common questions about the vaccine here.

Why would anyone avoid taking the vaccine, unless they have a medical condition for which the advice is not to? After all, anyone who performs Hajj or Umrah is vaccinated against Meningitis before going.

Comparison with smallpox

It’s doubtful that people would avoid the vaccine if COVID-19 were more deadly. Despite its spread, and the huge numbers who have died, it’s not as deadly and frightening as, for example, smallpox, which plagued humanity for thousands of years before being eradicated through vaccination in the 1970s. Indeed, the outbreak of smallpox in Glasgow in the 1950s is still in living memory for some people.

Interestingly, the first physician in history to describe in detail the symptoms and signs of smallpox was Muhammad Ibn Zakariyya al-Razi in the 9^th century. Humanity would have to wait centuries for a cure.

What a blessing from Allah that we have hope for a cure for COVID-19 in less than a year!

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