Does getting a vaccine injection break the fast?

According to Sharia, anything that enters the body through natural passages (mouth, nose, rectum) breaks the fast. However, if something enters through the skin, it does not break the fast. The book “Fatawa Hindiyyah” states: “If a substance like ointment enters the body through the tiny pores of the skin, it does not break the fast” (Vol. 1, p. 266).

Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad (may Allah have mercy on them) said: “Treating a deep wound in the abdomen or head does not break the fast. For a fast to be broken, the medicine must reach the inside through the main (natural) passages. Due to the density of the path to the inside and the blockage that occurs during treatment, it is unlikely that medicine will reach the inside through a wound,” (“Al-Fiqh al-Hanafi wa Adillatuhu”, 1/392).

Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him) noted: “If, when treating a deep wound in the abdomen or head, the medicine reaches the inside or the brain, it breaks the fast,” (“Al-Hidaya Sharh Bidayat al-Mubtadi”, 1/557).

Contemporary scholars classify injectable medicines as either those that nourish and energize the body like food and drink, or those used for treatment (that do not nourish or energize the body). They state: “If an injection is given under the skin or into the muscle for treatment (not for nourishment or energy), it does not break the fast.” However, regarding intravenous injections (other than blood transfusions), scholars have different opinions. Most say, “If the injection into the vein does not nourish or energize the body, it does not break the fast” (“Al-Mufassal fi al-Fiqh al-Hanafi”, p. 276).

A vaccine is a preparation made from microorganisms such as bacteria or viruses, administered to a person to prevent infectious diseases and boost immunity. It is not a necessary nutrient or a vitamin that gives energy to the body. Therefore, injecting a vaccine (under the skin, into the muscle, into the hip, or into the vein) does not break the fast.

Hasan AMANKUL

“Munara” newspaper, No. 5, 2021