ULEMA’s ROLE IN BUILDING ISLAMIC PERCEPTION REGARDING POLIO VACCINATION: A CASE STUDY OF HAZARA DIVISION

Abstract

With the emergence of contagious diseases, the invention of preventive
medicines, like vaccines, has become inevitable. Despite being medically
important, these vaccines have raised certain serious concerns among religious
scholars/clerics. A group of scholars object the process of vaccination on the
ground that these vaccines contain certain ingredients which are not
permissible from a shariah point of view. On the other hand, some scholars
allow it on the basis of necessity and protection of life and health. This study
attempts to analyze the shariah perspective of preventive medicines and the
role of contemporary religious scholars in establishing a public perception
regarding preventive medication. The research is exploratory and analytical.
Data is collected by interviewing influential religious scholars of the Hazara
region. Social and political factors responsible for creating suspicions and
doubts among the local communities are also examined. The study concludes
that Islam generally prefers the protection of health and life and encourages
preventive measures in dire necessities. Moreover, when an infectious disease
causes death or partial or complete paralyses, medicine prepared by prohibited
ingredients may be used for medicinal purposes to cure the disease.