By: Muhammad Yasin)*
For people who will be vaccinating, there is no need to worry, because the vaccine injection in the month of Ramadan does not invalidate the fast. Likewise with the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test.
Ramadan this year. We are living it again in the midst of a pandemic. But we must be grateful because we can be reunited with the holy month which only comes once in 12 months. Currently, Ramadan is safer because everyone complies with health protocols and vaccinations.
What about people whose vaccination schedule is in the month of Ramadan? Likewise with the PCR test which was taken to find out whether he had Corona or not. Especially for those who are going home and have only been vaccinated once or twice, they still have to do a PCR test before leaving. Many end up having doubts because they are afraid that both of them will break the fast.
People don’t have to worry because they can carry out vaccinations and PCR tests in the month of Ramadan. Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) for Fatwa, Asrorun Niam Soleh stated, “Vaccination and not breaking the fast. The reason is because the vaccine is given by injection. However, if you are afraid of post-vaccination events and have to eat before the injection, then the vaccination can be carried out after breaking the fast.”
The statement from the MUI is a relief because the average vaccination is done in the morning and afternoon, if the injection is done in the hospital. People can still get the first, second, or booster vaccine without having to worry about the reward for fasting. So they will vaccinate without hesitation and keep fasting smoothly without worrying about the validity of the worship.
If you are really afraid of post-vaccination events, you can choose the option to be injected after sunset. Indeed, the risk of vaccination is minimal, but if someone is injected when he is not fit, he can feel dizzy or hungry. When this happens, you must eat, drink, and rest enough, and if the injection is given after breaking the fast, it is safe because you do not have to break the fast.
Meanwhile, the public is also relieved that the MUI has decided that PCR does not cancel fasting. The swab and antigen tests do not invalidate and for people who carry out this swab test, either through a nose or throat test, their fast is still valid.
The community is very relieved because they can test PCR in the lab and then wait for the results, and if it’s negative, they can immediately leave to return home. PCR tests carried out before the time of breaking the fast still give the reward of fasting intact. They can also go home smoothly and happily because they miss their parents in the village.
Things that break the fast include eating and drinking intentionally. It could be that people think that vaccines should not be done during Ramadan because they think it is the same as taking medicine. In fact, the injection is carried out through the skin on the arm and not through the digestive tract, so the MUI has a fatwa that it does not invalidate the fast.
If there is a PCR test, then they can also do it smoothly, because the tool only touches the nasal and oral cavities. There is no liquid that appears during the test so it does not automatically cancel the fast.
People can fast smoothly because MUI has a fatwa that vaccination and PCR do not break fasting. So that Ramadan will be smooth in the midst of a pandemic and can be vaccinated, so that vaccination coverage will be wider. Then, the PCR test can also be carried out during the day because it makes fasting valid, and those whose results are negative can immediately go home smoothly.
)* The author is a contributor to the Nusa Bangsa Institute
