Iraqi Cleric’s Fatwa on Ramadan Fasting during Coronavirus Pandemic
Ayatollah Bashir Hussein Najafi issued the Fatwa (religious edict) in response to an Istifta (new inquiry) about fears that fasting might raise the possibility of infection with COVID-19.
He said if a Muslim knows for sure that fasting will cause him to contract the virus, it will not be Wajib (obligatory) for him, Al-Sumaria TV reported.
However, the cleric added, there has been no definitive medical evidence showing a relation between fasting and COVID-19 infection.
He referred to a Hadith from the Holy Prophet (PBUH) that says ‘fast to remain healthy’ and stressed that fasting during Ramadan should be regarded as an opportunity for preventing diseases, including COVID-19.
Earlier, Iraq’s top Shia cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said in a Fatwa that if a Muslims fears that he may contract the coronavirus by fasting, even after observing all the necessary precautions, it will not be obligatory for him to fast.
Ramadan, the lunar Hijri month in which Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, will begin on April 25.
