U.K.-based Islamic scholar Sheikh Abdul Rahman Dimashqia said that Shi'ite Muslims have claimed that Aisha, one of the Prophet Muhammad's wives, had made a religious ruling that permitted the consumption of rats and that this ruling is the cause of the coronavirus outbreak, reports the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

He said the spread of the virus in Iran is divine punishment for their accusations against Aisha, and he claimed that Iran is deliberately sending infected Iranians into Sunni cities and into countries like Lebanon in order to spread the virus among Sunni Muslims.

He also said that the Iranians belong to a cult of hatred and that they spread destruction wherever their hands reach.

Sheikh Dimashqiah has studied in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the United States and is a prolific writer and speaker on issues such as theology and deviant Islamic sects.

Shi'ites beat themselves bloody during Ashura
Shi'ites beat themselves bloody during AshuraiStock