Advising the Muslim Authorities Upon the Salafi Way: Advice from Shaykh Abū Iyād on COVID-19 and Vaccine-Related Matters

ByIsmāʿīl bin Rafīq Muḥammad July 12, 2026July 13, 2026

This is a general piece of advice that Shaykh Abū Iyāḍ, may Allāh preserve and protect him, sent to some Salafī brothers in the Maldives regarding the correct manner of addressing matters connected to COVID-19, vaccines, government policies, and the authorities. The advice concerned the method of publicly tagging government officials and ministries on Twitter, even when this is done respectfully, without rudeness, and with a sincere intention to question their actions or raise concerns regarding vaccine-related matters. The intention may be to raise awareness about potential vaccine harms and not to rebel against, oppose, or incite against the authorities. Nevertheless, publicly tagging officials and making specific accusations against them is not from the correct Salafī approach.

Shaykh Abū Iyāḍ said:

“This conduct—openly tagging government officials and ministers—is not good and opposes the Salafī methodology. That generates dislike and resentment against the [Muslim] authorities by making specific accusations against them in public.

If you want to advise, then do so privately by collating the evidence and sending it to the relevant person or authority through private channels of communication. More broadly, you can educate your family and friends in order to generate awareness. However, as for tagging officials publicly, this is incorrect, even when it is done with good manners.

Furthermore, if nobody listens to you, or if the matter takes time to be addressed, then it is not for you to display impatience and behave in this manner, because, in effect, this becomes a complaint concerning Allāh’s decree. Advise in the legislated manner, then remain patient and leave the matter there.

We must understand that the Muslim rulers, authorities and ministers are not deliberately seeking to harm the people. They believe in these matters, such as vaccination, as does much of the world, and regard them as wonders of modern medicine and so on. Therefore, we cannot expect immediate change.

While the tide is slowly turning, we must remain patient and continue educating people about good health, Prophetic medicine, making sound decisions and other beneficial matters.

May Allāh rectify the affairs.”

This steadfast position against public agitation perfectly aligns with the foundational audio advice Shaykh Abū Iyāḍ sent to the Maldivian Salafīs earlier, on June 06, 2020. During the height of the pandemic’s confusion, he explicitly commanded the brothers to obey the Muslim rulers and their health guidelines, firmly warning against using social media to express anger, create friction, or cause commotion (tashwīsh). He emphasized that the Salafī principles of unity and obedience to the authorities. Together, these pieces of advice completely dismantle the false accusations propagated by the fanatical followers of Dr. Arafat, who deceitfully claimed that Shaykh Abū Iyāḍ incited division or public agitation in the Maldives.

An important practical example of this Salafī approach is that Shaykh Abū Iyāḍ himself sent advice privately to rulers and relevant authorities concerning these matters during late 2020 and early 2021.

He did not publicize this advice at the time, nor did he use it to draw attention to himself. In fact, he did not reveal that he had taken these private steps until 2025—approximately four or five years later—and only did so in order to repel doubts, false allegations and lies that had surfaced concerning his position. Had those doubts and false claims not arisen, the private advice he had offered to the authorities would not have become publicly known.

This demonstrates the correct Salafī methodology, sincere advice is delivered privately through the appropriate channels, without publicly provoking resentment against the authorities, seeking recognition, or displaying impatience when change does not occur immediately.