Does cupping (hijama) break the fast?

Detailed answer

According to most scholars, cupping (hijama) does not break the fast. However, it can leave you tired or lightheaded, and it is disliked if it weakens you so much that you struggle to complete your fast. For this reason, many people, and many hijama practitioners, prefer to do it in the evening, after iftar.

What the Sunnah says

There are two kinds of reports on this subject:

• Al-Bukhari reports from Ibn Abbas that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was cupped while he was fasting.
• Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi report the hadith: "The one who cups and the one who is cupped have broken their fast."

Many scholars understood the first report as the later practice, or saw the second as a warning about the weakness cupping can cause. Al-Bukhari also reports that Anas ibn Malik was asked whether cupping was disliked for a fasting person, and he answered that it was not, except because of weakness. So the general view is: cupping is allowed while fasting, but avoid it if it will exhaust you.

Some scholars hold that cupping does break the fast for both people, based on the second hadith; if you are unsure, have it done after sunset or ask a trusted local scholar.

In practice

• Best time: after iftar, when you can drink and eat to recover.
• Daytime: allowed according to most scholars if you are strong and healthy, but not advisable on hot days or long fasts.
• If you feel faint afterwards, you may break your fast and make up the day later.
• Choose a trained practitioner who uses clean, single-use equipment, and check with your doctor first if you have a health condition or take blood-thinning medicine.

Related questions

The same reasoning is used for donating blood. A small sample for a test is lighter still and does not break the fast; see blood tests.