Covid-19 nasal, throat swab tests do not invalidate fasting, says Perlis Mufti

PETALING JAYA: The Covid-19 nasal and throat swab tests do not invalidate the act of fasting among Muslims, says Perlis Mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin (pic).

He said that looking at its Covid-19 management guidelines, the Health Ministry has adopted nasal and oral swab tests to screen for the virus.

The Mufti said after analysing all the arguments and proposals that have been made, the state fatwa committee has agreed that the Covid-19 swab test does not invalidate a Muslim's fast.

"The swab tests are not considered as eating and drinking that can cause a person's fast to be invalidated, with the consensus of the Muslim scholars," he said in a statement Tuesday (April 21).

Among the acts that can invalidate Muslim fasting are deliberately inserting objects or food into any bodily passageway, except for medical reasons.

The holy month of Ramadan is likely to start on April 24.

Dr Asri said that the argument of inserting something into a person's bodily passage as one of the reasons that can invalidate fasting had attracted differing opinions among Islamic scholars.

"The opinion that the swab test does not invalidate fasting is in line with the views of the Hanafi Islamic jurisprudence that requires the object that is inserted inside a bodily passage to remain inside and not be connected with something else outside of the human body," he explained.

There are four schools of jurisprudence in Islam - Hanafi, Maliki, Syafi'i and Hanbali, with Malaysia following the Syafi'i school of thought.

"If so, the swab test only involves a process to insert the swab into the nose and mouth in order to take the needed samples and later taken out, and does not invalidate fasting," said Dr Asri.