The ‘holy’ month of Ramzan began on 12 March 2024 and will end with the last roza on 9 April 2024. During this time, the Muslim community across the world fasts in celebration of their festival. Amid this, a bizarre video is making rounds on social media warning Muslims of a hygiene aspect that might ruin their fast.
Mufti Mamur Badar Qasmi of Azampura, Hyderabad, has published a video for Muslims directing them on the proper method to maintain ‘hygiene’ post excretion during the month of fastings. The video was posted by the Mufti in the year 2020 in which Qasmi said using water for cleaning post-excretion might break the fast as the water might enter the stomach through the excretory organ. Instead, he suggested that Muslims should hold their breath while cleaning their excretory organs post-excretion so that their private muscles contract preventing the water from entering the stomach through excretory organs.
The video hosted by Qasmi on YouTube has been making rounds on social media. Qasmi in the video can be heard saying, “If a Muslim is following Roza and performs excretion during Roza, the water might enter into his stomach through his private parts resulting in disrespect of Roza. What a Muslim in such a situation can do is contract his muscles while cleaning his excretory organs using water post-excretion, so that the water does not enter into his body through the private parts.”
He added that Muslims needed to follow some rules while performing fasts during Ramzan. “Roza might get disturbed if even a drop of water enters the body of a Muslim either through his mouth or through his excretory organs. Muslims should stop breathing while cleaning their excretory organs post-excretion during Roza. This is the only solution for not breaking the fasts,” he added.
Netizens took cognizance of the video and burst into laughter after seeing Qasmi directing the Muslims on even the method of maintaining ‘hygiene’ during the month of fasting. Some suggested the usage of toilet paper, while others sarcastically noted that Qasmi should be nominated for a ‘Nobel Prize’ for his ‘knowledge’ in physics and biology.
Netizens also suggested that the ‘knowledge’ of Qasmi was messing around with Newton’s law dealing with gravity.
It is important to note that during the holy month of Ramzan, Muslims are ordained to observe fasting between dawn and dark when the Maghrib prayer’s adhan is heard. Ramzan, the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar, involves fasting and is regarded as the fourth of the five pillars of Islam.
Notably, the original video of Qasmi explaining to Muslims how to clean excretory organs post-excretion was posted on 7 May 2020.
In the video, Maulana says, “Do not breathe much while defecating during the fast. Shrink yourself as much as you can. Do not open too wide while you sit. This can cause water to reach the stomach, which will violate the fast.”
The video, which is making rounds on social media currently, is incomplete and old. In the video, the Mufti explains how to perform Istinja in Ramzan while fasting. Istinja is the process of washing and cleaning the private parts after defecation or urination.
Ramzan began in the evening on Tuesday, 12 March 2024, and is scheduled to end on Tuesday, 9 April 2024.