LUCKNOW: If you are observing roza and wish to get yourself vaccinated for Covid-19, there is no need to worry about your fast, according to a fatwa issued by a prominent Sunni cleric on Tuesday.
“At a time when
vaccination has become a necessity to stay safe from
Covid-19 pandemic, devotees can go for vaccination while fasting for
Ramzan,” said
Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali in a fatwa issued on a query regarding vaccination.
To help fasting Muslims during Ramzan, helplines being run by both Shia and Sunni clerics are flooded with such questions. There are women centric helplines too where questions are being answered by women educated in Islamic laws.
“Roza observed by devotees does not break due to Covid vaccination, which means that those who wish to and are allowed to get vaccination, should do so. Vaccination is an intramuscular injection, hence not digested. Therefore, it won’t break your fast. We are encouraging Muslims to go for vaccination as a part of their commitment to their well-being,” said Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali.
Among other queries that callers have put forth recently ahead of Ramzan include if a devotee is experiencing Covid symptoms, how should he observe the fasting month, and what is the code of law to avoid Covid-19 or any other infection or disease.
“Those who are experiencing Covid symptoms should immediately get themselves tested and not observe roza this time. For the ones who are not well, the instructions of the Prophet for the devotee is to first visit a doctor and take their suggestions. It is also mentioned in the Hadith Shareef that kalonji (nigella seed) keeps every illness at bay. Therefore, it should be taken during sehri and iftar,” the cleric said.
A caller asked if a person knows only 10 ‘surahs’ (chapters) of the Quran then can he read Taraweeh prayers, to which the suggestion was given that if one knows only 10 ‘surahs’, one should read them during the first 10 ‘rakat’ or units and repeat them again during the next 10 ‘rakats’.
Another caller asked if a person could recite ‘ayats’ (verses) and read ‘tasbeeh’ (rosary) without cleaning himself, to which it was suggested that people could do so without cleaning their hands but they should not touch the Holy Quran.