How do we respond to those who cite the hadith, "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) granted a concession regarding cupping for the fasting person," such as Ibn Hazm, and the hadith, "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited cupping and continuous fasting but did not forbid them, out of consideration for his Companions"?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah.
The questioner : Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) reported in *al-Fath* from Ibn Hazm that he said regarding the hadith:Sunan an-Nasa'i 4400Hasan (Darussalam), stating that the hadith: is not denied, but this hadith is a concession after the default ruling.
Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) also mentioned a hadith from a man among the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) who said:, and he graded it authentic. How do we respond to this?
The Shaykh : We respond to this with what Imam Ahmad responded with, which is that it is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:, and the hadith of Anas ibn Malik that you referred to is weak. This is the first point.
The second point is that our statement that it breaks the fast is in the interest of the fasting person in reality. Why?
Because it is well known that if blood is drawn from a person, he will suffer from weakness, hardship, and fatigue. So if we say that he breaks his fast, we say: do not undergo cupping except out of dire necessity. If you are fasting an obligatory fast, and you undergo cupping out of dire necessity, then eat and drink.
The others say: if you undergo cupping out of dire necessity, you must remain fasting, even if you are at the extreme of weakness.
So the statement that it breaks the fast is in the interest of the fasting person, because we say: if you do not need cupping, do not undergo it except at night. And if you need it and it is necessary, such as if blood rises in him, we say: undergo cupping, and we grant him a concession to eat and drink so that he may regain his strength.
Thus, it is clear that the statement that it breaks the fast is the statement that conforms to wisdom.
And the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) verified this in a small treatise of his called *Haqiqat al-Siyam* (The Reality of Fasting). Whoever wishes for a more detailed answer should refer to it.
The questioner : Is donating blood the same?
The Shaykh : Donating blood is the same, meaning if the same amount is drawn from him by donation. For this reason, it is not permissible for a person to donate blood while fasting an obligatory fast except out of dire necessity. If his companion who needs the blood is in dire need of immediate action, then it is drawn from him, and he eats and drinks. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : You, Muhammad Mahjub.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah.
The questioner : Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) reported in *al-Fath* from Ibn Hazm that he said regarding the hadith:
It was narrated from Zaid bin Thabit that: a wolf bit a sheep so he slaughtered it with Marwah, and the Prophet allowed him to eat it.
رخّص النبي صلى الله عليه وسلّم في الحجامة للصّائمThe one who performs cupping and the one who is cupped break their fast
أفطر الحاجم والمحجومIbn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) also mentioned a hadith from a man among the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) who said:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited cupping for the fasting person, and continuous fasting, but did not forbid them, out of consideration for his Companions
نهى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلّم عن الحجامة للصّائم، وعن المواصلة، ولم يحرمها إبقاء على أصحابهThe Shaykh : We respond to this with what Imam Ahmad responded with, which is that it is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
The one who performs cupping and the one who is cupped break their fast
أفطر الحاجم والمحجومThe second point is that our statement that it breaks the fast is in the interest of the fasting person in reality. Why?
Because it is well known that if blood is drawn from a person, he will suffer from weakness, hardship, and fatigue. So if we say that he breaks his fast, we say: do not undergo cupping except out of dire necessity. If you are fasting an obligatory fast, and you undergo cupping out of dire necessity, then eat and drink.
The others say: if you undergo cupping out of dire necessity, you must remain fasting, even if you are at the extreme of weakness.
So the statement that it breaks the fast is in the interest of the fasting person, because we say: if you do not need cupping, do not undergo it except at night. And if you need it and it is necessary, such as if blood rises in him, we say: undergo cupping, and we grant him a concession to eat and drink so that he may regain his strength.
Thus, it is clear that the statement that it breaks the fast is the statement that conforms to wisdom.
And the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) verified this in a small treatise of his called *Haqiqat al-Siyam* (The Reality of Fasting). Whoever wishes for a more detailed answer should refer to it.
The questioner : Is donating blood the same?
The Shaykh : Donating blood is the same, meaning if the same amount is drawn from him by donation. For this reason, it is not permissible for a person to donate blood while fasting an obligatory fast except out of dire necessity. If his companion who needs the blood is in dire need of immediate action, then it is drawn from him, and he eats and drinks. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : You, Muhammad Mahjub.