Ma'ruf Amin: MUI Needs to Prepare Fatwa for the COVID-19 Vaccine

JAKARTA - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin said that the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) needed to prepare a fatwa for the COVID-19 vaccine.  Vaccines are currently in the research process before they are made available to the public.

"We pray that the government's efforts to hasten the availability of vaccines can be realized. We also hope that MUI needs to prepare its fatwa," said Ma'ruf while delivering a keynote speech in a web seminar on "The Role of MUI Fatwas during the COVID-19 Pandemic and its Law Impacts", organized by Al Azhar University, Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Wednesday, August 5.

A fatwa can be used as a guide for people when there are many adjustments that must be made amid a pandemic. The pandemic will not be over until the COVID-19 vaccine was discovered and was safe for public use.

"Fatwas can provide guidance for people to mitigate and overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A true fatwa will always be oriented towards the benefit," said the inactive chairperson of the MUI.

In addition to the COVID-19 vaccine, fatwas from scholars played an important role during a pandemic. It resulted in many new things to emerge, especially in terms of implementing health protocols.

"Many new things have emerged as a result of adjustments in the framework of implementing health protocols. Especially in the religious field which requires fast and relevant answers to the pandemic situation," he said.

These new things require the certainty of Islamic law. So, the fatwas of the ulemas could become a solution to the problem of uncertainty in carrying out worship amid the pandemic.

"In this context, fatwa, tausiyah, bayan, irsyadat, taujihat are believed to be a solution to the problems," he said.

Previously, he hoped the COVID-19 vaccine could be available to the public by mid-2021 or sooner than that. The government is fully encouraging the efforts of various parties to realize the availability of the vaccine.