Summary: Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine, Nuvaxovid, is not permissible to use due to the presence of protein produced by insect cells. It can only be used in cases of necessity when permissible vaccines (such as mRNA vaccines) are not available or … Continue reading Novavax’s Nuvaxovid Vaccine
Question: My query is regarding the use of insulin pumps (e.g., Omnipod) and continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGM) (e.g., Freestyle Libre, Dexcom G6) for use in Type 1 Diabetic patients. These items are only meant for one-time use and are also very expensive to purchase. A needle is inserted through the skin and covered with an adhesive. Removal of the sensor will result in having to discard the sensor or pump item. Can it be considered valid to perform ghusl by passing water over them instead of removing the sensor/pump or catheter insertion requiring it to be permanently discarded? Answer: … Continue reading Insulin Pumps and CGM Devices: Islamic Permissibility of Use During Ghusl
Prepared by Mawlana Dr. Mateen A. Khan, MD and Dr. Ramzan Judge, PharmD Summary Permissible influenza vaccines in the US for 2020-2021 season FluadTM Trivalent FluadTM Quadrivalent Fluzone High-DoseTM Quadrivalent AfluriaTM FluarixTM FluLavalTM FluzoneTM Quadrivalent Impermissible influenza vaccines in the US for 2020-2021 season FlublokTM FluMistTM FlucelvaxTM Discussion Background on Influenza Influenza (commonly known as the flu) is a seasonal viral illness carrying significant health, economic, and social burden. For the past nine years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that every year 9.3-49 million symptomatic illnesses, 4.3-23 million medical visits, 140,000-960,000 hospitalizations, and 12,000-79,000 deaths are attributed to seasonal influenza. For the … Continue reading Islamically Permissible Influenza Vaccines Available in the US for 2020-2021 Season
Question: Do orally dissolving or sublingual medications like ondansetron and lorazepam break the fast? Answer: Bismihi Ta’ala Orally dissolving tablets (ODT) and sublingual (SL) routes allow for mucosal absorption of medications. This is particularly beneficial in patients with difficulty swallowing (dysphagia). It also bypasses gastric and enteral breakdown and liver first-pass metabolism. The medication must first be diluted into saliva before absorption into the mucosa. The patient must avoid eating, drinking, smoking, and possibly talking to keep the tablet in place to dissolve and give time to transfer from the saliva into the mucosa. This time is variable depending on … Continue reading Use of Orally Dissolving and Sublingual Medications While Fasting
Summary: Muslims should avoid consuming Tamiflu capsules and must instead either use the suspension form or open the capsule and consume the contents of the capsule without ingesting the capsule itself. Question: Are Tamiflu capsules permissible for Muslims to use? Answer: Bismihi Ta’ala Tamiflu, and its generic equivalent oseltamivir, is an influenza neuraminidase inhibitor that is used for the treatment and prevention of influenza infections[i]. The medication is available in capsule and suspension forms. The suspension does not contain any Islamically unlawful ingredients and is therefore permissible for Muslims to use[ii]. The capsule form contains porcine gelatin in the capsule, … Continue reading Islamic Permissibility of Tamiflu
Prepared by Mufti Adil Farooki, MD, Shaykh Mateen Khan, MD and Dr. Ramzan Judge, PharmD Summary: The injectable vaccine Typhim Vi is permissible for Muslims as a vaccine for typhoid fever and is preferred over oral Vivotif. Background: Enteric fever, also known as “typhoid fever”, is a severe systemic illness characterized by fever and abdominal pain caused by the bacteria Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi. Typhoid fever infects roughly 21.6 million people (incidence of 3.6 per 1,000 population) and kills an estimated 200,000 people every year[1]. From the CDC[2]: “People who are actively ill with typhoid fever and people who are … Continue reading Vaccination Against Typhoid/Enteric Fever
Prepared by Mufti Adil Farooki, MD. Approved by Mufti Abdul Muqtadir Sikander Download PDF Background on Vaccination A vaccine is a “product that stimulates a person’s immune system to produce immunity to a specific disease, protecting the person from that disease”[1]. Vaccination is the process of administrating a vaccine, most commonly by an injection, with the immediate goal of achieving “active immunity” in the recipient of the vaccine. Active immunity involves the “stimulation of the immune system to produce antigen-specific humoral (antibody) and cellular immunity”, and can last for many years, sometimes even a lifetime[2]. Vaccination benefits the immunized patient … Continue reading An Islamic Basis for the Use of Vaccines with Impermissible Ingredients
Prepared by Shaykh Mateen A. Khan, MD and Dr. Ramzan Judge, PharmD Summary Permissible influenza vaccines in the US for 2019-2020 season: Fluad™ Fluzone High-Dose™ Afluria™ Fluarix™ FluLaval™ Fluzone™ Quadrivalent Impermissible influenza vaccines in the US for 2019-2020 season: Flublok™ FluMist™ Flucelvax™ Discussion Background on Influenza Influenza (commonly known as the flu) is a seasonal viral illness carrying significant health, economic, and social burden. For the past nine years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that every year 9.3-49 million symptomatic illnesses, 4.3-23 million medical visits, 140,000-960,000 hospitalizations, and 12,000-79,000 deaths are attributed to seasonal influenza. For the 2017-2018 … Continue reading Islamically Permissible Influenza Vaccines Available in the US for 2019-2020 Season
Question: Is the use of opioid drugs such as oxycodone and codeine for medicinal purposes permissible? Answer: Bismihi Ta’ala Opioid drugs are those that are derived from opium. These drugs are used for various medicinal purposes, such as relief of pain or cough. Common side effects of opioid medications include constipation, nausea, vomiting, sedation, impaired psychomotor function, and urinary retention. In general, the consumption of intoxicating substances is impermissible according to the shariah. Intoxication is defined in shariah as a state in which a person is insane and this can be as extreme as not being able to differentiate the … Continue reading Opioid Medications
Shaykh Mateen A. Khan, MD As new diseases and treatment modalities arise, health professionals and patients increasingly find themselves facing dilemmas – ranging from birth defects to end-of-life care – that are as much scientific as they are moral. Medicine, as a field, requires a strong ethical directive. However, personal experience and historical references testify to the fact that human intellect alone is often incapable of reaching objective ethical standards or does so in a contradictory manner. More than just outlining the permissible (halāl) and the impermissible (harām), Islam provides the Believer with a worldview and wide-ranging guidance – a … Continue reading The Need for Islamic Ethics in Medicine
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