And Ahmad said:

Ismā‘īl informed us, from Khālid al-Hadhdhā’, from Abū Qilābah, from al-Ash‘ath, from Shaddād ibn Aws, that he passed with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), at the time of the Conquest, by a man undergoing cupping at al-Baqī‘, when eighteen nights of Ramadan had elapsed. He said:

“Both the cupper and the one being cupped have broken their fasts.”

Al-Tirmidhī said: I asked al-Bukhārī, and he replied, “There is nothing more authentic on this subject than the hadith of Shaddād ibn Aws and the hadith of Thawbān.” I asked, “What about the inconsistencies in their transmission?”

He replied, “I consider both authentic, because Yahyā ibn Sa‘īd narrated both hadiths from Abū Qilābah, from Abū Asmā’, from Thawbān, from Abū al-Ash‘ath, from Shaddād.”

I say:

This point made by al-Bukhārī is among the clearest proofs of the authenticity of both hadiths narrated by Abū Qilābah.

Further on, he said:

Another consideration supporting the view that the abrogating ruling is that cupping breaks the fast is that this was narrated from him by his closest Companions, who attended to him both at home and on journeys and were privy to his private affairs. These included Bilāl and ‘Ā’ishah, as well as his two clients, Usāmah and Thawbān. It was also narrated from him by members of the Ansār who belonged to his inner circle, such as Rāfi‘ ibn Khadīj and Shaddād ibn Aws. In Ahmad’s Musnad, Rāfi‘ ibn Khadīj reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

“Both the cupper and the one being cupped have broken their fasts.”

Ahmad said, “The most authentic report on this subject is the hadith of Rāfi‘.”

He cited the hadiths stating, “Both the cupper and the one being cupped have broken their fasts,” before going on to say: “They then differed, adopting several views.”