In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful…

The following is a compilation of very important resources from the Salafi scholars living through this pandemic, aware of its specific details, in order to return matters of global emergencies to those qualified to speak about them for proper determination, as Allah has commanded:

One of the most important and relevant resources on the topic for us in the West is this: Five questions from Ustaadh Moosaa Richardson posed to the senior authority of Fatwaa (Religious Verdicts) in this time, the Mufti Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez Aal Shaykh (may Allah preserve him):

1. How do we know exactly what nawaazil (pending issues in need of verdicts) are…?

2. What should be done if we enter a mosque these days -the days of the Coronavirus-, and we find that the people of this masjid are not distancing themselves from one another, nor are they implementing the safety protocols of the authorities, in non-Muslim lands…?

3. In the West, we have some doctors among the Muslims, people of Sunnah and [good practice of] Religion, people known for their love of Islamic knowledge and its dissemination. However, in these days specifically, they oppose the official Health agencies, saying that there is no need for the well-known protocols of safety which those officials instruct the people to observe…?

4. What should be our stance on those who talk about So-and-So, the government official, in their private gatherings, actually naming one of the authorities in the land of the Two Sacred Mosques, saying that he is causing corruption in the land, because he closes mosques and puts restrictive limits on those who come for Hajj and ‘Umrah, requiring them to follow harsh safety restrictions, which leads to the ruin of the sacred places [of worship]?

5. What is our stance on those who say that the governmental leaders in the Land of Tawheed have made decisions during this pandemic based on blindly following the West, without consulting the people of knowledge?

ANSWERS HERE: Questions From the West About Covid-19 Answered by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez Aal Shaykh

The following topics were addressed by the board of senior scholars on al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah (the Permanent Committee for Fatwaa) as translated by Ustaadh Anwar Wright (may Allah bless and reward him):

1. Praying with a face mask

2. Praying with gaps

3. Difficulty in performing ablution

4. Making tayammum to avoid removing protective suits

5. A doctor delaying a prayer in order to save a patient’s life

6. Ablution for the one sick with Covid-19

7. The Medical/Health Professional having feelings of inefficacy

8. Doctors who worry about getting Covid-19 themselves

9. Not visiting one’s parents to keep them safe

ANSWERS HERE: PDF: A Summary of Verdicts Issued by the Permanent Committee of Scholars Concerning the Coronavirus Epidemic [Anwar Wright]

ANOTHER SERIES of beneficial advice from the Mufti (may Allah preserve him) on essential topics related to Covid-19, translated by Ustaadh Umar Quinn:

What is mandatory is that one takes information from competent authorities, just as it is mandatory upon him to ask the people of knowledge about that which is problematic…

PDF: Nine Advices As Relates the Novel Coronavirus by the Mufti Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez Aal Shaykh

An essential clarification about the obligation of distancing in the prayer rows by the great scholar, Shaykh Saalih al-Fowzaan (may Allah preserve him):

…So they must keep a distance from each other, until the reason [for these protocols] no longer remains. Then, they can go back to coming close together. This is something which Allah has legislated for them. These two matters are obligatory – offering worship and following protocols of safety. These are among the things that Allah has ordered to be done, as found in His Statement, the Most High [which means], “Take precautions” [4:71] This means: From everything that harms you; be warned of it, and stay away from it. From the generality of that is: Physical closeness between the Muslims during these days, as what is legislated is distancing for health concerns. This is from what Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has made obligatory – Taking necessary steps for safety, following precautionary health protocols, and taking the advice of doctors. All of these matters are from what Allah, the Exalted and Most High, has made obligatory upon the Muslims…

Article: Social Distancing During These Times is an Obligation From Allah; It Only Increases Our Love for One Another

MP3 Audio: Shaykh Saalih al-Fowzaan on the Obligation of Social Distancing During the Covid-19 Outbreak [Phrase-by-phrase translation]

Shaykh Saalih also addresses the issue of those who refrain from attending congregational prayer in the masjid because of their dislike of the gaps, in the following article:

One Who Avoids Prayer in Congregation Because of the Gaps Between People in the Row, by Shaykh Saalih al-Fowzaan

On this topic, Shaykh Arafat al-Muhammadi (may Allah reward him) clarifies further:

if a person has an excuse preventing him from wearing a mask due to any health reason, as has come within the question, we say: Yes, as long you cannot wear it, then do not attend along with Muslims. Pray in your house so that you can do so (i.e., pray maskless), because this mask is a must, and it is also a must to socially distance…

One Who Cannot Wear a Mask During the Covid-19 Pandemic is Excused from Congregational Prayers, by Shaykh Arafat bin Hassan al-Muhammadi

Shaykh Salim Bamehriz (may Allah preserve him) rebukes those who claim the scholars speak about these matters without adequate knowledge:

When the scholars speak about this issue, they speak with knowledge. How can you say they do not have knowledge [about this topic]? May Allah guide and correct you! This is an accusation against the people of knowledge. The people of knowledge do not speak except with sincere advice and with evidences. So they have looked at the issue and discussed it with its [relevant] people among the responsible authorities in the country and other Islamic countries. They presented the issue [for input and consultation] and found that these things are from the legislated asbaab (steps of protection). Then, after that, they took the vaccinations, and all praise is due to Allah, they are fine and in good health. They also clarified to the people how important that [vaccination] is, and that it is from the ways protection is gained from the illness that has infected many people. So a person must respect the scholars and not [falsely] accuse them…

You accuse people with false accusations, and you fall into the evil of lying, fabrication, and conspiracy! So fear Allah, may Allah bless you. Stop this disruptive behavior.

Shaykh Salim Bamehriz Offers Important Advice About the Covid-19 Vaccine and Tawakkul (Trusting in Allah)

Shaykh ‘Abdullah al-Bukhary (may Allah preserve him) offers some very serious criticism of those who oppose the scholars by warning against the Covid-19 vaccine:

In every crisis, whether it be religious or worldly, there are those who thrive in its ruins and profit from it, like the one who urinates in the Zamzam Well [just to be known]. The likeness of these people who discourage [people from the vaccine] is that he just wants to be known for opposition and resistance, and that he is the concerned one with intellect. Moreover, it has even occurred at some times and in some lands that they speak ill of the people of knowledge, understanding, and investigation. They have come together like this, resembling one another, following their desires, obeying their own greed, and listening to people without knowledge or understanding. They claim that the people of knowledge do not understand the situation, that they do not know, and they only give verdicts based on what is said to them! What is the difference between you and ‘Amr ibn ‘Ubayd, the Mu’tazilee, when he said about Ibn Seereen and al-Hasan that they were scholars of [women’s menstrual] pads? What is the difference!? The issue went so far that they even began accusing anyone who wears this (i.e. a facemask), this precaution, that he has fallen into shirk! What is this transgression!? What is this transgression and this blunder being attributed to Allah and His Religion?!

Is it Sinful to Discourage People From Taking the Covid-19 Vaccine? [Shaykh Abdullah al-Bukhary]

Additionally, Shaykh ‘Arafat al-Muhammadi (may Allah preserve him) offers some similarly sharp and direct advice about these matters, stressing the importance of returning these matters to the scholars:

…We wish these people would be quiet and leave these affairs to the authorities and scholars, as they have caused [enough] confusion. A complete year has passed, and hundreds of thousands have died. Some have been infected, others have suffered, and things connected to this illness have taken place right in front of our eyes. We see people getting ill and dying, and then these people say these [precautions] are excessive, etc., etc.! Would these people just be quiet and leave the matter to the authorities and the scholars who have given fatawa (verdicts) already?! Since the scholars have already issued verdicts [on these issues], and the scholars do not issue verdicts until after getting a clear picture of the issue, reading about it and researching it. This is what we know about our scholars. So since the scholars have issued verdicts, then do not interfere in matters that are not for you and in things that you are not proficient. Just leave the matter to the scholars…

Be Quiet and Leave Issues of Coronavirus Precautions for the Muslim Authorities and Scholars (Again!), Shaykh Arafat al-Muhammadi

Shaykh Arafat (may Allah bless and preserve him) has also clarified that it is not permissible to fabricate medical records to avoid the vaccine:

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 [what means]:

“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…

The Ruling on Forging Vaccination Records in Order to Avoid the Vaccine, by Shaykh Arafat bin Hassan al-Muhammadi 

Shaykh Mohammad bin Ghalib al-Omari (may Allah bless and preserve him) likewise spoke decisively on many important and relevant topics of this nature:

…It is not appropriate to listen to voices which call to the opposite of that (i.e. those who warn against the vaccine), from that which reality has confirmed to be falsehood. And so we say: Returning to the truth is better than persisting in harm and falsehood.

Do not Listen to Those Warning Against the Vaccine; Returning to the Truth is Better than Persisting in Harm and Falsehood, by Shaykh Mohammad bin Ghalib al-Omari

He also said (may Allah bless and reward him):

Insisting upon saying that coronavirus is a conspiracy, scheme, or even a lie (!!), and that vaccination is a deceit and deception, leads towards having ill thoughts about rulers, contradicting scholars, and neglecting that which is evidenced by reality, along with what this speech has of evil effects upon people’s lives. And so, this speech is not acceptable…

Regarding Those Who Insist that Coronavirus and the Vaccination is a Conspiracy, by Shaykh Mohammad bin Ghalib al-Omari

OTHER IMPORTANT ARTICLES ON THESE TOPICS:

PDF: Advice of Shaykh Abdullah al-Bukhary About Coronavirus

The Return to Connected Rows (Without Gaps) at the Two Sacred Mosques in Makkah and al-Madeenah