When 101-year-old Malaysian Muslim Che Ismail knew it was vaccine that would allow him to return to mosque for congregational prayers, he did not have a second thought.
Ismail came to the integrated vaccine administering center in Kuala Nerus district in Terengganu, Malaysia on Wednesday, August 25, with his grandson Mohd Jailani Harun and two great grandchildren.
Though he got his vaccination appointment earlier, Mohd Jailani said his grandfather was not ready for it.
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He approved only when his grandson told him that getting vaccinated would allow him to join mosque prayers.
“But we never gave up hope of persuading grandpa to get vaccinated in order to protect his health. We explained to him that after getting two doses of the vaccine, he would be able to join the congregational prayers at the mosque or surau,” Mohd Jailani told Bernama.
“He finally agreed to get vaccinated and coincidentally, I saw a post on Facebook two days ago that UniSZA is giving the opportunity to individuals who have not received the vaccine to come here for a walk-in vaccination. Alhamdulillah, everything has been made easier,” he added.
Che Ismail is the oldest recipient of the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the PPV on Wednesday.
The Malaysian Mufti issued a fatwa in December 2020 stressing that COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for people at risk to prevent the spread of the pandemic and preserve the human life.
This opinion falls in line with the other juristic edicts issued by Muslims on the COVID-19 vaccine.
In the UK, British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) has put out a statement encouraging at-risk individuals to take the vaccine.