Rabat – Astrologists in the UK predicted that Ramadan will begin on Tuesday, April 13, according to the local non-governmental organization Islamic Relief.
During Ramadan, Muslims fast every day from dawn until sunset and refrain from smoking, drinking alcohol, and sexual activity. The holy month is a time to focus on spiritual discipline, reconsidering the relationship with God, reading the Quran, and performing taraweeh prayers.
All Muslims are obliged to fast during Ramadan every year, although there are exceptions for those who are ill, pregnant or nursing, travelers, young children, and the elderly.
Fasting in Ramadan is one of the pillars of Islam, along with the profession of faith (Shahada), prayer, almsgiving, and making a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Ramadan amid the COVID-19 vaccination campaign
During Ramadan, people always raise concerns about any medication or drugs that could break or invalidate the fast. This year, the COVID-19 vaccine is one of the concerns.
According to doctors and experts, the vaccine does not affect the fast.
“Taking the COVID-19 vaccines currently licensed in the UK does not invalidate the fast, as per the opinion of Islamic scholars. Individuals should not delay their COVID vaccinations on the account of Ramadan,” said the British Islamic Medical Association in a statement published on January 28.
“Subcutaneous, subdermal, intramuscular, interosseous, or intra-articular injections for non-nutritional purposes whilst fasting does not invalidate the fast, regardless of the injected content entering the blood circulation,” the association added.
Nevertheless, according to reports, the UK government plans to launch night-time appointments for vaccinations during Ramadan.
The UK has given 30,151,287 people the first dose of the vaccine with 3,527,481 receiving their second dose.
In Morocco, meanwhile, the government has recently eased some of the preventive measures the country adopted since the start of the pandemic while maintaining that caution should still be applied. So far, the officials have not announced any Ramadan-related measures.
