AS Muslims worldwide begin the Holy Month of Ramadan today, it is another opportunity for everyone to remember the spiritual and moral values the Holy Month entails. Ramadan is the most sacred month of the year for Muslims.
During the entire Ramadan, Muslims fast daily from dawn to sunset. It is meant to be a time of spiritual discipline — of deep contemplation of one’s relationship with Allah, extra prayer, increased charity and generosity, and intense study of the Quran. Ramadan is a time of celebration and joy to be spent with loved ones.
For the second straight year, the COVID-19 pandemic has made many of the more social aspects of Ramadan a lot harder to do safely. With necessary restrictions implemented on travel and the need to maintain social distancing, avoid large and indoor gatherings, adherence to these measures has never been more apparent. Working hours have been reduced to five, therefore the Ministry of Public Health disclosed that the vaccination campaign during Ramadan would be from 9am to 1am every day of the week, including Friday and Saturday.
This comes after earlier statements to assure people that taking a COVID-19 vaccine injection will not break a Muslim’s fast during Ramadan, a senior official from the Ministry of Awqaf noted. In a post on Twitter recently, Sheikh Dr. Thaqil bin Sayer Al Shammari, Deputy Head of the Court of Cassation in the Supreme Judiciary Council and Head of Shariah Committee at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, said that the vaccine does not break fast because it is taken intramuscularly and not taken orally and it is not nutritious.
Besides, doctors at Hamad Medical Corporation have said that people on medication should be careful and observe their health conditions. It added that diabetic children might fast during Ramadan depending on their health status before fasting, and they can control their blood sugar level, so they are close to the normal level. For its part, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) recently announced it would increase its safety and cleanliness drive across the country. Inspections, garbage, and sewage collections would increase, the Ministry said.
A significant increase in waste is recorded during Ramadan, including organic and solid waste. About 1,482 workers, 659 drivers, 1,112 garbage trucks, and 158 monitors have been deployed for Ramadan. The MME has distributed 75,615 garbage containers across the country. Meanwhile, those who are not fasting have an obligation to respect the holy month’s general ethics and norms avoiding eating in public during fasting hours and public intoxication and indecency.
