Cairo: Egypt’s Dar Al Iftaa, a top Islamic body responsible for issuing religious edicts, has said it is permissible to spend money collected from zakat alms on acquiring a vaccine against COVID-19.
“It is religiously permissible to use the zakat money for providing the coronavirus vaccine in fulfilment of protecting human life, which is the prime objective of the Islamic Sharia code,” the prestigious institution said in a statement. “Building the health system is part of this objective to protect people’s health,” it added.
"The evolution of the epidemic and spread of its destructive effects make it necessary to pool efforts and pump money into completing the health system."
Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country of over 100 million, so far has confirmed a total of 154,620 virus cases.
Provide support
“The fatwa of directing the zakat money to provide the coronavirus vaccine supports the Sharia objectives to protect human life by building a health system” Khalid Omran, the Dar Al Iftaa’s secretary general said.
“All the zakat channels are in man’s interest and for his protection. Everyone should join hands especially in this hard time being experienced by Egypt and the world to make the vaccine available for those in need,” he told Egyptian television Extra News.
Finance Minister Mohammed Maait said last week that 1 billion Egyptian pounds (Dh 234.5 million) had been transferred to the Health Ministry to buy vaccines against the highly contagious as part of a plan to provide vaccination for 100 million Egyptians.
