Prepared by Mawlana Mateen A. Khan MD, Dr. Ramzan Judge PharmD, Dr. Samad Tirmizi PharmD, and Mufti Adil Farooki MD.

Summary:

Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are ḥalāl and permissible to take.

Oxford-AstraZeneca and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccines are ḥalāl and permissible for use although other vaccines without ethical issues (e.g., mRNA vaccines) are preferable when available.

(See links below for more detailed explanations. Other vaccines have not been evaluated yet due to lack of information and/or vaccine unavailability in the US.)

Introduction:

In December 2019, the World Health Organization was alerted to an outbreak which would eventually be identified as SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19. Caused by a betacoronavirus, COVID-19 most often effects the lower respiratory tract. The virus binds to angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, which is found in almost all organs of the body especially the lungs, brain, and gut. Therefore, the virus has the potential to affect most of the body. On March 11, 2020, the WHO officially declared it a pandemic as it quickly spread across the globe. As of February 2, 2021, there are over 103 million worldwide cases and over 2.2 million deaths have been attributed to it.[i] In an unprecedented move, countries across the world embarked on an effort to quickly develop drugs and vaccines. Linked below are articles which discuss the vaccines currently available or soon to be available in the United States including the permissibility or impermissibility of their ingredients in the Sharī`ah. It makes no assessment of the vaccines’ medical benefit or lack thereof. One should consult a qualified and trusted medical personnel to better assess personal benefit.

More Detailed Discussions:

mRNA Vaccine Page

Viral Vector Vaccine Page

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[i] COVID-19 Dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html. Accessed 02/02/2021.