Doubts and Suspicions about Polio Vaccines and Their Responses

Preface

There are doubts and concerns regarding the polio vaccine that are completely baseless and are based on misinformation and incorrect fatwas. Because of this misinformation and these incorrect fatwas, some people refuse to vaccinate their children against polio, putting them at risk of contracting this disease.

In this article, I first explain these doubts and misconceptions and then provide reasoned responses to each of them.

The Doubts and Suspicions

1. The polio vaccine is imported from Western countries. Westerners use this vaccine to harm Muslims by making them sterile and weakening their reproductive ability.

2. The polio vaccine contains pig oil and fat; therefore, it is haram.

Responses to the Above Doubts and Suspicions

Response to the First Doubt

The first doubt is that the polio vaccine is imported from Western countries and that Westerners use it to harm Muslims by making them sterile and weakening their reproductive ability.

This suspicion is nothing more than a fear based on a baseless claim for which no evidence exists. Millions of children have been vaccinated against polio in Muslim countries around the world, yet no infertility or reproductive weakness has ever been observed in these children throughout their lives.

There are developed and advanced countries in the Muslim world that have the capacity to analyze and investigate the contents of the polio vaccine. None of them has found any material or substance in the vaccine that causes infertility or weakens children's reproductive ability.

Moreover, the fact that the polio vaccine is imported from Western countries cannot be a reason to consider it haram. The polio vaccine is a means of prevention, and wisdom and beneficial knowledge are like the lost property of a Muslim—wherever he or she finds them, they have the greatest right to them.

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»

Translation: "Allah does not forbid you from showing kindness and dealing justly with those who have neither fought you because of your religion nor driven you out of your homes. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly." (Surah Al-Mumtahanah, Verse 8)

This verse of the Holy Quran shows that Muslims are not prohibited from communicating and interacting with non-Muslims, provided that such interactions do not bring harm to Muslims or cause weakness or loss to them.

Therefore, there is no prohibition on trading with or importing the polio vaccine from Western countries, as long as it does not cause any harm to Muslims.

If we pay attention to reality, we can see that the population of Muslims is larger than the population of followers of other religions in many parts of the world. The Muslim population continues to grow, which clearly demonstrates that the polio vaccine and other vaccines have not had any negative impact on Muslim population growth. Day by day, the Muslim population continues to increase.

If we were to declare the polio vaccine haram simply because it is imported from Western countries, then we should also question the many food products and medicines that are imported from those same countries. Why, then, are such doubts and concerns raised only about the polio vaccine?

Response to the Second Doubt

The second doubt is that the polio vaccine contains pig oil and fat and is therefore haram.

The response to this doubt is that the claim that the polio vaccine contains pig oil or fat is not based on any scientific research. The polio vaccine has been administered in Muslim countries for many years, and it is produced under the supervision of both Muslim and non-Muslim experts. To this day, no Muslim country or recognized Muslim scholar has presented evidence that the polio vaccine contains pig oil or fat.

In the Muslim world, there are doctors and laboratories capable of analyzing and investigating the contents of the polio vaccine. These laboratories operate under the supervision of Muslims, and modern technology is widely available. If the polio vaccine contained anything that is haram, Muslim doctors and scientists would inform us.

Furthermore, if we assume that non-Muslims or the enemies of Islam secretly mixed any haram substance into the polio vaccine, or added pig oil or fat to cause infertility or reproductive weakness among Muslim children, then why would they not do the same with other medicines?

Muslims also use medicines such as paracetamol tablets. Why, then, would non-Muslims not mix haram substances into those medicines as well?

Even if we assume that pig oil or fat is one of the ingredients in the polio vaccine, we should ask what purpose this would serve. In Islamic jurisprudence, when a substance undergoes a complete transformation, its ruling may also change. For example, if wine is transformed into vinegar, it is no longer considered wine. Although wine is haram, vinegar produced through such transformation is not.

Finally, if the claim is that adding pig oil or fat to the polio vaccine is part of a conspiracy against Muslims, we should consider this carefully and rationally. Even if Muslims were to consume pork or pig fat directly, what benefit would that bring to non-Muslims? There is no logical advantage for them in doing so. Likewise, mixing any haram substance into the polio vaccine would provide no benefit to non-Muslims.

These claims are simply rumors and misinformation that create doubt and discourage people from vaccinating their children.

Mufti Shamsurahman Frotan

Islamic Advisory Group Focal Point