As for the person who is cupped, a great deal of blood has been drawn from him, and for that reason he is regarded as having broken his fast. The quantity removed weakens him and saps his strength, leaving him unable to carry on fasting.

The cupper’s fast is likewise invalid, because there is a real likelihood that some of the blood may splash into his throat when he sucks on the cupping-horn. In Islamic law, a likely risk is treated as though it has actually occurred; therefore the cupper is deemed to have broken his fast as a precautionary measure that blocks the means to wrongdoing. This is the purport of the Prophet’s ﷺ statement, “The cupper and the one who is cupped have broken their fast,” meaning that the fast of both parties has been nullified.

As for the report, “Fast and you will be healthy,” it is transmitted from the Prophet ﷺ and appears in several ḥadith collections. Although its chain of narration is not particularly strong, its meaning is sound: fasting benefits the body, for it curbs the excess humours that generate disease. Medical specialists themselves attest to this, and lived experience is the clearest proof that fasting promotes bodily health.

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Devoting worship exclusively to Ramadan

Question: Some people—regrettably—are diligent during Ramadan in performing the five daily prayers, the tarāwīḥ, the late-night prayer, and the recitation of the Qur’an; but once Ramadan is over they abandon all or most of those practices. What is the ruling on such people? Are their good deeds in Ramadan accepted? And what advice would you offer them?