Covid-19 queries flood Ramzan helplines in Uttar Pradesh

  • | Saturday | 8th May, 2021

LUCKNOW: What if one develops fever during roza (fasting)? How can one compensate the loss of roza due to Covid-19 management? Can zakat (donation) be given to provide food and medicines to a Covid-19 patient in the neighbourhood? Is it haram (prohibited) to take vaccine during roza? These are some of the queries that are flooding Shia and Sunni helplines in the city as coronavirus pandemic weighs heavy on the minds of rozedars during the holy month of Ramzan. On an average, 30-40% of the queries on helplines are related to Covid-19.

LUCKNOW: What if one develops fever during roza (fasting)? How can one compensate the loss of roza due to Covid-19 management? Can zakat (donation) be given to provide food and medicines to a Covid-19 patient in the neighbourhood? Is it haram (prohibited) to take vaccine during roza? These are some of the queries that are flooding Shia and Sunni helplines in the city as coronavirus pandemic weighs heavy on the minds of rozedars during the holy month of Ramzan. On an average, 30-40% of the queries on helplines are related to Covid-19.

“The world is passing through an unprecedented crisis and uncertainty is affecting everyone. The sentiment is bound to reflect on the thought process of rozedars as well. We try to clear their doubts in the light of the Quran and Hadis,” said Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali of the Islamic Centre of India.

Maulana Saif Abbas, whose team runs a helpline for Shias, said: “People have stress and doubts on how to follow the rules and regulations for Ramzan during the pandemic. Our helpline tries to simplify things for believers. About 25-30% queries are related to pandemic alone.” Clerics said most of the people ask if a person with co-morbid conditions can observe fast or not. Many Muslim doctors, nurses and health staff on Covid duty also took help in choosing between the call of duty in these extraordinary times and call of religious duty.

“The answer is simple. If a doctor advises a person not to keep a fast, the religion exempts him/her. They can compensate by making donations, especially by giving food to the needy,” said Maulana Saif.

Maulana Khalid Rasheed said besides attending to questions, the helpline served as a platform to create awareness on pandemic. “In the process of clearing the doubts, the helpline staff also informed people about the precautions one needs to take to keep trouble away,” he said.

He said many callers were also counselled to help them overcome the guilt of not being able to observe fast. “Many people were advised by their doctors not to observe fast because they had post-Covid symptoms or belonged to high-risk category. Such people felt guilty and looked for ways to compensate,” the cleric said.

The helpline staff said many callers asked about the use of alcohol-based sanitizer. “We told them that it was a misconception. Even mosques are cleaned with liquid sanitizer,” said Maulana Rasheed Farangi Mahali. Many persons asked if taking steam during roza would break the fast. Experts replied that steam inhalation would break the fast. If steam is mandatory and life-saving in view of the physician, then one should not observe fast, they added.


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