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Fasting and Hijama
Sep 26, 2019

Reading time 8 min.

Assalaam alaikum,

There has been much debate over getting Hijama done during fasting. Let’s discuss this today, insha Allah!

Bukhari 5694: Ibn Abbas narrated “The Messenger of Allah swt was cupped while was fasting.

Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) was cupped while he was fasting. [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree #5694].

Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) was asked: “Did you dislike cupping for the fasting person?” He said, “No except for the reason of one becoming weak.” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree #1940].

Then there is the following Hadith which does not counteract the ones above.

“The Cupper and the one being cupped have broken their fast.” [Saheeh see Irwaa al-Ghaleel (931)]. This is because the Hadeeth is abrogated as Sheikh al-Albaani and ibn Hazm (May Allah have mercy upon them) showed by the following Hadeeth:

Abu Sa’eed al-Khudhree (may Allaah be pleased with him) said, “The Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) validated cupping for the fasting person.” [Saheeh see Irwaa al-Ghaleel (4⁄74).

It appears that Hijama is allowed but disliked as Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) mentioned because the fasting person becomes weak if they perform Hijama and Allah SWT knows best. But if the person medically needs to be cupped, they should break their fast and make up for it later, inshallah.

We also have to consider if these ahadith refer to Obligatory fasting during Ramadhan or voluntary fasting at any other time of the Islamic year:

Malik’s Muwatta by Imam Malik, translation by A’isha `Abdarahman at-Tarjumana and Ya`qub Johnson, Volume: Fasting

30. Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to be cupped while he was fasting. Nafi said, “He later stopped doing that, and would not be cupped when he was fasting until he had broken the fast.”

31. Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Sad ibn Abi Waqqas and Abdullah ibn Umar used to be cupped while they were fasting.

32. Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that his father used to be cupped while he was fasting and he would not then break his fast. Hisham added, “I only ever saw him being cupped when he was fasting.”

Malik said, “Cupping is only disapproved of for some one who is fasting out of fear that he will become weak and if it were not for that, it would not be disapproved of. I do not think that a man who is cupped in Ramadan and does not break his fast, owes anything, and I do not say that he has to make up for the day on which he was cupped, because cupping is only disapproved of for someone fasting if his fast is endangered. I do not think that someone who is cupped, and is then well enough to keep the fast until evening, owes anything, nor does he have to make up for that day.”‘.

ARTICLE-“Hijamah (Cupping) During the Daytime of Ramadan

Question: What is the ruling concerning cupping during Ramadan?

Consultant: Yusuf Al-Qaradawi

Answer: “In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Cupping means letting out bad blood that is beneath the skin as a kind of medical treatment. It was narrated from Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Healing is in three things: in the incision of the cupper, in drinking honey, and in cauterizing with fire, but I forbid my Ummah (nation) to use cauterization.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari)

“According to Ahmad and Ishaq and some Hadith scholars, hijamah, taking blood from the body, which was a means of treatment practiced by the Arabs, makes the fasting invalid.

This is also the opinion of some of the Companions and the Followers (the generation after the Companions). They held the view that the fasting of the cupper and the cupped is rendered invalid. Their argument is based on the hadith of Thawban, which is traced back directly to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that “The cupper and the cupped have broken the fast.” (An-Nawwi said that this tradition was compiled by Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah with sound chains of transmission, and the isnad [chain of transmission] of Abu Dawud is according to the condition of Muslim. See Al-Majmu` vol. 6, pp. 349-350.)

The second evidence is the hadith of Shaddad ibn Aws, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) came across a man in Al-Baqi` holding my hand on the 18th day of Ramadan and said: “The cupper and the cupped have broken the fast.” (An-Nawwi said that this tradition was compiled by Abu Dawud, An-Nasai and Ibn Majah with sound chains of transmission, ibid.)

A similar hadith was reported by Rafi` ibn Khudayyij, Abu Hurayrah, and Abu Musa (ibid. See also Fath Al-Bari, vol. 5 p. 79, Al-Halabi edition.)

The majority of jurists held that cupping does not render the fasting invalid, neither of the cupper nor the cupped. Their argument is based on the hadith of Ibn `Abbas that the Messenger of Allah was cupped while he was in the state of ihram and while he was fasting. (Reported by Al-Bukhari in his Sahih, as quoted inAl-Majmu`, vol. 6, p. 35)

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked once, did you dislike cupping for the fasting person, and in another variant, during the time of the Prophet? He (Anas) said: No, (we did not) unless it made the person weak. (Reported by Al-Bukhari, ibid.)

It is reported on the authority of Abu Layla: A man from the Prophet’s Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) told me that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) forbade cupping and observing fasting continuously and that he forbade his Companions from doing so in order to preserve their lives.

(An-Nawawi said this tradition was reported by Abu Dawud with a chain of transmission according to the condition of Al-Bukhari and Muslim, ibid.)

It is reported on the authority of Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) allowed kissing and cupping. (Reported by Ad-Daraqutni and he said all the transmitters of this tradition are trustworthy. He also reported it from another chain of transmission and said: They [the transmitters] are trustworthy, ibid, p. 351.)

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) is reported to have said: The first case, in which cupping was rendered disliked for the fasting person, was that Ja`far ibn Abi Talib was cupped while he was fasting, then the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) passed by him and said: “Those two persons (i.e. Ja`far and the one who cupped him) have broken their fast.”

Later the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made it permissible for the fasting person to be cupped, and Anas used to do it while fasting. (Reported by Ad-Daraqutni and he said, all the transmitters of this tradition are trustworthy and I find no defect in it, ibid.)

Al-Bayhaqi said: The permissibility of performing cupping was reported from Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas, Ibn Mas`ud, Ibn `Abbas, Ibn `Umar, Al-Husayn ibn `Ali, Zayd ibn Arqam, `A’ishah, and Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with them all). (ibid, p. 351.)

According to these views, the hadith saying “The cupper and the cupped have broken the fast,” if it is to be acted upon on the basis of the words, was abrogated by the hadith of Ibn `Abbas, which confirmed that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was cupped while fasting and it was pronounced later, as it was said concerning the Farewell Pilgrimage, and the hadiths which allow the performance of cupping were said at a later date.

On the other hand, the ahadiths that make cupping permissible are more sound and authentic and supported by analogy (qiyas) as maintained by Ash-Shafi`i. Scholars interpreted the hadith of “the cupper and the cupped have broken the fast” to mean that cupping may lead to breaking the fast, (i.e., the cupper cannot make sure that the blood will not reach the stomach and the cupped is not sure that the cupping will not weaken him so that he will have to break the fast). Ash-Shafi`i said: What I know from the Companions and the Followers and the majority of knowledgeable people is that the cupper does not break his fasting by performing cupping. (See Al-Fath, vol. 5, p. 79.)

On the basis of what has been mentioned, it becomes clear that, according to the majority of scholars, taking blood from the body of the fasting person does not render the fasting invalid. (Ibid, p. 80.) However, it is disliked if it weakens the fasting person.”

So what is Hijama Nation’s Say About Hijama And Fasting?

One Imam has explained to us that at the time of the Prophet (PBUH), they used to use animal horns to do the Hijama and used to suck on the horn to create the suction. There was a risk of blood going into one’s mouth during cupping, that is why it could have been forbidden to do Hijama during fasting. But since we use the vacuums pumps to create the suction in modern times, we do not face that problem. So it should not break the fast of Cupping therapist.

Also it is true that Hijama would make a fasting person weak, especially if they bleed a lot and their blood sugar or blood pressure may reduce. So it is better not to perform Hijama on someone who is fasting. Fasting is natural detox anyway, so there is no need for a healthy person to get Hijama performed with the intention of fulfilling the Sunnah.

The only reason Hijama should be performed in Ramadhan is if someone has an injury, illness or chronic pain.

In the scenario the person being cupped is fasting, you can perform Hijama on them just before iftar (breaking of the fast at sunset), so they can break the fast after Hijama.Or just after Iftar, where they can break the fast with one date or water and then you can perform Hijama on them.

So in conclusion, it is better not to perform Hijama on someone who is fasting unless they really need Hijama due to injury, illness or chronic pain. Otherwise, if the Practitioner is able to, they can perform Hijama just before iftar time and then break their fast.

Or break their fast with water or a date, and then do the Hijama. Then they can pray, have the eat their Iftar meal, rest and then pray Esha Salah. And Allah (The Exalted) knows best.

After care for a Client is very important, we ensure our Trained Hijama Practtioners fully explain to thier Clients after treatment about self care and possible changes after treatment

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Wassalaam

Muddassar

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