ICI chairman Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali, who is also the Imam of Lucknow’s Eidgah, said the concerns were familiar and largely rooted in misunderstanding: does oiling the hair break the fast, do injections invalidate it, can one taste food while cooking, is cutting nails allowed, and does applying henna to the hair affect the roza? “All these things have no bearing on roza,” Farangi Mahali said, drawing a clear line between fear and principle. The rule, he explained, was straightforward: the fast is broken by what enters the digestive system. The questions did not stop at household routines. Medical situations brought their own uncertainty, especially for those managing health needs while trying to observe the fast. People asked whether blood tests affect roza, what happens if someone vomits accidentally, and whether pregnant or lactating women can fast. On pregnancy, Farangi Mahali urged caution and consultation. A pregnant woman, he said, should observe fasts only after medical advice from a qualified doctor, and fasting may be observed depending on the condition and safety, Mahali said. President of Shia Chand Committee, Maulana Saif Abbas, also cleared people’s doubts that were asked on the Shia Ramzan helpline number. Can zakat be given for the construction or maintenance of a mosque? Can applying lipstick while fasting break the roza? Does taking a glucose transfusion break the fast? Would applying eye drops break the fast? Clearing all the doubts, Abbas said, “Anything that goes down the throat breaks the fast. The poor have the first right on zakat.” Even life’s milestones found their way into the list of doubts. Can a nikah be performed while fasting? Farangi Mahali explained that a person who performs nikah during fasting “will be twice blessed”.
