(CNN) – A guide for Muslims observing Ramadan during the pandemic
This week, Muslims across the United States will begin observing another pandemic, Ramadan. But this year’s holy month — marked by fasting, prayer, reflection, and community — will be different than the last, as vaccines are now available and some Covid restrictions have been lifted. Still, health experts and community groups warn it’s not completely safe to share suhoor, iftar, and Taraweeh with friends and family. They’re urging followers to mark Ramadan with caution, and have even issued guidance. Here’s what they want you to know:
Vaccines are halal and won’t break your fast
The (NMTF) on COVID-19 and the (NBMCC) have issued a Ramadan advisory urging Muslims to continue vaccinations through the holy month.
The three available vaccines Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer/BioNTech, and Moderna are halal and will not break your fast, the organizations said in a joint news release.
Muslim scholars, including the Fiqh Council of North America and the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America, have also ruled that vaccines will not invalidate fasts.
The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines do not contain pork or alcohol. And were not made using aborted fetal stem cells, NMTF and NBMCC said in the release. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine does use cell lines from aborted fetal stem cells, but many Islamic leaders have said its use is still permissible “given the societal and individual health needs to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” according to the release.
Dr. Hasan Shanawani, president of American Muslim Health Professionals (AMHP), said Muslims should not delay their vaccinations, even if they believe it will break fast.
A guide for Muslims observing Ramadan during the pandemic “If you still feel the vaccine will invalidate your fast, still get the vaccine, and then make up that lost day after Ramadan,” Shanawani told CNN.