Question (Q-74)
Will the fast be invalidated by taking a covid vaccine?
Answer:
The definition of a fast in Islamic Law is to refrain from eating, drinking and intercourse from true dawn to sunset. The fast is not invalidated by eating or drinking forgetfully. Eating and drinking only occur when anything reaches the stomach through one of the main passages of the body. According to the explanations provided by the traditional experts of jurisprudence and medicine, there are naturally five main passages to the stomach which are, 1) throat 2) ears 3) nose 4) anus 5) vagina. Inserting oil or medicine into the tip of the penis will not invalidate the fast as there is no major passage between the urethra and the stomach. It is clearly stated in Al Hidāyah, Radd ul Muhtār and other works,
لو أقطر في احليله لم يفطر لأنه لا منفذ له ملخصا
“If he dripped medicine into his urethra then his fast will not be invalidated as there is no major passage in the urethra.”
The fast is not invalidated by inserting medicine into the eyes (such as eye drops) because the medical experts amongst the jurists did not class the eye to be a main passage but rather classed it to be an opening. It is stated in Al Fatāwā Al Hindiyyah (Volume 1, Page 224) and other general books of jurisprudence,
لو أقطر شيئا من الدواء في عينه لا يفطر صومه عندنا
“If he drips any medicine into his eyes his fast will not be invalidated according to us.”
If anything enters the stomach through a thin hole (which is described as an opening rather than a passage by the jurists) then the fast is not invalidated. Al Imām Al ‘Ainī wrote,
المسام مأخوذ من سم الإبرة
“The word for opening is derived from the word for the tip of a needle.”
It is clearly stated within the great works of jurisprudence such as Al Hidāyah, Al Kifāyah, Al Bināyah, Al ‘Ināyah, Fath ul Qadīr, Al Fatāwā Al Hindiyyah and Radd ul Muhtār,
الداخل من المسام لا ينافي
“What enters from the openings does not negate the fast.”
وما يدخل من مسام البدن من الدهن لا يفطر
“Whatever oil enters through the pores of the body will not invalidate the fast.”
ومن اغتسل في ماء وجد برده في ياطنه لا يفطره
“The fast will not be invalidated of the one who bathed in water feeling its coolness within his body.”
Al Imām Ibn al Humām states clearly,
المفطر الداخل من المنافذ كالمدخل والمخرج لا من المسام ااذي هو خلل البدن للاتفاق فيمن شرع في الماء يجد برده في بطنه ولا يفطر
“What invalidates the fast is that which enters through the main passages like the entrances and exits of the body not the pores which are small holes. This is due to the agreement that the fast of the one who jumps into water feeling its coolness in his stomach will not be invalidated.”
In light of these proofs, the researched position is that the fast is not invalidated by taking a covid vaccine or any other injection regardless of whether the injection is injected into a vein or a tissue. This is the position upheld by the Sunnī Hanafī jurists such as Muftī A’dham Hind, Shārih ul Bukhārī and Faqī ul Millah (Allah shower mercy upon them). However, as there is a difference of opinion amongst the scholars, one should be cautious in this regard.
Will the fast be invalidated by taking a covid test?
Answer:
Taking a covid test will certainly not invalidate the fast. The test involves inserting the tip of a cotton swab into the top of the throat and into the nostrils. There is not any chemical substance or anything like that on the cotton swab and therefore nothing has entered the brain or stomach during this process. The esteemed jurists have clarified,
المفطر الداخل من المنافذ
“The thing that breaks the fast is that which enters the (stomach) through the main passages.”
It is based upon the same notion that having a blood test will not invalidate the fast.
Allah (تعالى) is Most Knowing.
Written by Muftī Shamsulhudā Khān Misbāhī (Allah preserve him)
