The Ruling on the Earnings of a Cupper

Question:
The questioner asks the Shaykh: Is it permissible for a man to become a cupper, or is it permissible only with supplication, given the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): “The cupper is a successor to the fornicator”?

Answer:
No, it is permissible, but it is disliked because of the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) meaning that it is lowly. It is not “abominable” in the sense of being forbidden; rather, “abominable” here means lowly. What befits a Muslim is to elevate himself above lowly matters, because the earnings of a cupper involve baseness, and there is a likelihood of handling blood. When he sucks the cup, some blood may fly up to his throat, and blood is ritually impure and forbidden. Therefore, the earnings of a cupper are disliked from this perspective, because they involve baseness and the handling of impurities from this angle.
However, it is not forbidden. In fact, Shaykh Taqi al-Din says that it is better for a person to practice cupping than to ask people for charity. It is better for a person to earn his livelihood through cupping and spend it on himself than to beg from people. Yes.