and if this occurs on a Sunday because he mistakenly thinks it is Monday, that too is permissible. Mālik said: he should carry on with his fast; if he wishes, he may also fast the real Monday, and if he wishes, he may leave it.

There is no objection to cupping for the fasting person provided he does not fear that it will weaken him so much that he cannot complete the fast. The Prophetic reports transmitted on this matter are confused and mutually contradictory, and no obligation to make up the day is established for someone who has neither eaten, drunk, nor engaged in intercourse unless there is clear, uncontested evidence requiring it.

In Mālik’s view a fasting person may use the siwak (tooth-stick) throughout the entire day so long as the stick is dry; he disliked its use when it is fresh lest some of its flavor reach the throat. Scholars other than Mālik regard its use after midday as disliked because of the fasting person’s breath, and those who hold this opinion make no distinction between fresh and dry sticks, since the siwak is not food in any case. We have already explained Mālik’s position and that of others on this question in al-Tamhīd and al-Istidhkār—praise be to Allah.