Question:
What do the scholars and experts of shari’ah say regarding the taking of Covid-19 vaccine? Does the vaccine break the fast?
Answer:
Taking the Covid-19 vaccine whilst fasting will not invalidate the fast. The vaccine is not given to provide strength, nor is it used as a dietary supplement, rather it is injected into the muscles. A fast is only invalidated when something enters the body through the mouth and nose. The vaccine is an intramuscular injection and is not entered through these routes. With regards to those things which enter the body, the expert jurists have discussed at length what does and does not invalidate the fast. Ibn Nujaym explains this in his commentary on Kanz al-Daqa’iq,
“… rubbing oil, cupping, applying kohl, or kissing does not break the fast, since applying oil to the body is not something incompatible with fasting. A substance which enters through the pores of the skin and not by the (aforementioned) passages does not invalidate the fast, much like somebody who washes themselves with cold water, and feels its coolness from within.” (Al-Bahr Al-Raiq: 2/293)
Abu al-Baqa al-Damiri explains what it means by ‘something reaching the stomach’: for instance a person pierced his thigh or shin then applys ointment to the wound, the ointment naturally enters his body from these places, but will not invalidate the fast, because none of these areas are considered as ‘the stomach’. There is no difference of opinion in this matter.” (Al-Najm Al-Wahhaj fi Sharh Al-Minhaj: 3/295)
To conclude, the Covid-19 vaccine does not reach the stomach, nor does it directly provide strength to the body therefore, it does not invalidate the fast.
And Allah ﷻ knows the best
This Fatwa is written By Dr Musharraf Husain Al-Azhari & Dr Hafiz Muhammad Munir Al-Azhari
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