By Ahmed Bheiri 17/ 6/ 2009
Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh, the Mufti of Saudi Arabia, issued a fatwa (religious opinion) denying travel to and from countries where the swine flu virus is present as it runs counter to Sharia (Islamic law), and exposes one to danger.
He confirmed that the Prophet directed us to avoid countries where plagues are present, and if the plague occurs while we are in the country then we should avoid leaving the country.
A lecture entitled "The Rule of Tourism in Islam and its Statement Tools and Conditions" was held on Monday evening in the mosque of Iman Turki bin Abdullah in Riyadh. Al-Sheikh said during this lecture: "If we know that the country is infected with swine flu then travel is denied us because in that care we risk endangering ourselves."
For his part, Dr. Gouda Abdul Ghani Bassiouni, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Comparative Jurisprudence at Al-Azhar University announced his full support for the advisory opinion of the Mufti of Saudi Arabia.
Gouda pointed out that the advisory opinion of Al-Sheikh paves the way for discussions about the postponement of Hajj (pilgrimage) and Umrah (minor pilgrimage).
The postponement would be due to the spread of the swine flu, especially since the Saudi Ministry of Health announced yesterday the registration of three new cases of swine flu virus infections; bringing the total number of cases in Egypt to seventeen.
Translated from the Arabic by Eltorjoman International
hat-tip Twall
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