UAE Fatwa Q&As: Build on Five Pillars and be in no doubt

This week’s questions are on Islamic rulings on what is Halal and what is Haram and whether it is permissible to have injections whilst fasting.

I am a 23-year-old man and I have grown very concerned about matters of Halal and Haram. I consider myself as someone who observes their religious duties – I pray, adhere to pillars of Islam, obey my parents and respect my family, and avoid major sins. However, I feel guilty when I go bowling, play billiards, PlayStation and football. I also go to cafes, malls and other recreational facilities. Are these sort of pursuits permissible?

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

Firstly, your thinking about whether what you are doing is Halal or Haram is a good sign; it shows that you have God consciousness. Generally speaking, provided our intentions and hearts are sincere we should rejoice in the fact that whoever duly adheres to the Five Pillars of practice of Islam (such as the Shahada or Witnessing of Monotheism that God alone is worthy of being worshipped and that Muhammad is his Final Messenger, the offering of prayer, giving of Zakat, observing the fast in the month of Ramadan, and performing the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca) will gain felicity and enter Paradise.

This is evidenced by a report from Jabir, who said that a man asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): “Do you think that if I offer the prescribed salat, observe fast in the Ramadan, regard as permissible that which is lawful and regard as forbidden that which is unlawful, and that I do not do any more than that, will I enter Paradise?” He (peace be upon him) said: “Yes”. The man then said: “By Allah, I shall not do any more than that.” [Narrated in Sahih Muslim]

If an ill person was given intravenous injections and nutrients, should he/she give to the needy or make up the missed fasting days?

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

Nutritious injections break one’s fast. If required to be taken, one must make up for the missed fasting days alone. There is no need to feed the needy alongside such an expiation. However intravenous injections, with no nutrients within, are not considered to break one’s fast. This is because as the name implies, they are of a non-nourishing nature and do not enter the internal body cavity through a fast vitiating point of entry.

To summarise, nutritious injections break one’s fast. However, intravenous injections with no nutrients do not break one’s fast. Allah knows best.

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