As for Hijamah during Ramadan, then it is a difference of opinion between the Scholars.

Shaikh Muhammad ibn Hizaam (may Allah preserve him), a Scholar from Yemen and a student of Shaikh Muqbil ibn Haadi al-Wadi’ee (may Allah have mercy upon him) and Shaikh Yahya ibn Ali al-Hajoori (may Allah preserve him), wrote:

“Cupping While Fasting

The majority of Scholars: Malik, Shafi’ee, Abu Hanifa, and from the Companions: Ibn Masud, Ibn Umar, Ibn Abbas, Anas ibn Malik, Abu Sa’eed, Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with them all), from the Tabi’een: Sa’eed ibn Musayyab, Urwah ibn Zubair, Sha’bi, an-Nakhai’ (may Allah have mercy upon them), took the opinion that cupping does not break the fast. They use as a evidence the following:

1. The Hadith of

Ibn Abbas which is in Bukhari (1938) that the Prophet (ﷺ) cupped while in the state of Ihram and cupped while fasting.

In another wording:

He cupped while fasting

2. What was reported in

Bukhari (1940) from Thabit ibn Bunaani who said: I asked Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): Did you used to dislike cupping for a fasting person? He said: no, except if it causes weakness.

The wording in

Sunan Abu Dawood (2375) he said: We would not allow a man who was fasting to get himself cupped due to abomination of hardship

3.

Abu Dawood reported (2374) with a Saheeh chain that a man from the Companions said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prohibited cupping and perpetual fasting, but he had not made them unlawful, showing mercy on his Companions

4. What is

reported by an-Nasaai in al-Kubra (2/237) and other than it from the Hadith of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Prophet (ﷺ) allowed cupping for the one fasting.

Its chain meets the requirements of authenticity except there is a difftirerence of opinion whether it is raised to the Prophet (ﷺ) or a statement of Abu Sa’eed. What is correct is that it is a statement of Abu Sa’eed as was the predominate opinion according to Abu Zur’ah and Abu Hatim, Tirmidhi, Ibn Khuzaimah, and others

5.

The Hadith of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) in Daraaqutni (2/182) that he said: The first time cupping was disliked for a fasting person was Ja’far ibn Abi Talib who was cupped and fasting and the Prophet (ﷺ) passed by and said: “These two have broken their fast”. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) allowed it after that for the fasting person.

This Hadith is Daif because in its chain is Khalid ibn Mukhlad al-Qadawaani and he has detestable narrations. And Abdullah ibn al-Muthna who is trustworthy but makes a a lot of mistakes. Ibn Abdul-Haadi declared it defective and detested it in at-Tanqeeh as found in Nasab ar-Raayah (2/480). Likewise Hafidh Ibn Hajr ibn Fath (1937) and Shaikhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah in his explanation of Kitab as-Siyaam (1/447-448)

6. They use as evidence the analogy between it and phlebotomy (cutting a vein) or a nose bleed. And it was established from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:

“What breaks the fast is what enters [the body], not what exits [from it]” [Reported by Ibn Abi Shaybah (4/51) with a Saheeh chain]

This is the opinion that Bukhari preferred in his Saheeh and Ibn Hazm in al-Muhallah, and it is the preferred opinion of ‘Allamah al-Albani (may Allah have mercy upon them).

The second opinion: that the one who cups or cups another person break their fast and it is upon both of them to make up the fast. This is the opinion of ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), ‘Ata, al-Awzai, Ahmad, Ishaaq, Abu Thawr, and from Shafi’iyyah: Ibn Khuzaimah, Ibnul-Mundhir, Abul-Waleed an-Nasaaboori, Ibn Hibban, and it is the preferred opinion of Shaikhul Islam ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy upon him), his student Ibn Qayyim, and also the preferred opinion of Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen, Shaikh Ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy upon them). ‘Ata took an isolated opinion and obligated an expiation also. There is no evidence for that.

These Scholars use as evidence his statement:

A man who cups and a man who gets himself cupped break their fast

[Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood no. 2369].

They present against the first opinion the following:

1. As for the Hadith of Ibn Abbas, then Muhanna said: I asked Ahmad about the Hadith and he said: It does not have the wording fasting but only in the state of ihraam.

2. Ibn Khuzaimah answered saying that the Prophet (ﷺ) was in the state of Ihram and a Muhrim is travelling so it is allowed for him to break his fast, whether by food, drink, or cupping. So there is not in the Hadith of Ibn Abbas what prevents breaking the fast.

3. That the Hadith of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) remains (مبق) upon the origin and the Hadith:

A man who cups and a man who gets himself cupped break their fast is a transporter (ناقل) from the origin and transporter (ناقل ) takes precedence over the (المبقي) .

What is correct is the statement of the majority…”

End quote.

[Ithaaf al-Anaam bi Ahkaam wa Masaail as-Siyaam pg. 82-84]

So what is correct is that it is allowed to cup while fasting; however, it is safer to avoid it during Ramadan as the Shaikh hafidhuhallah mentions himself (pg. 86). However, it is allowed for a person to cup while fasting.

And Allah Knows Best

Translated by

Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan