As for the Sunnah, it is the saying of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): "By Him in Whose hand is my soul, the foul odor of the fasting person's mouth is more pleasant to Allah than the scent of musk; he leaves his food, his drink, and his desire (3) for My sake" (4). The scholars have reached a consensus on the breaking of the fast by eating and drinking things that provide nourishment. As for that which does not provide nourishment, the majority of the people of knowledge hold that breaking the fast occurs through it. Al-Hasan ibn Salih said: It does not invalidate the fast if it is neither food nor drink. It was reported of Abu Talhah al-Ansari that he would eat hail while fasting and would say: "It is neither food nor drink." Perhaps those who hold this view argue that the Book and the Sunnah only forbade eating and drinking, so what is other than them remains under the original principle of permissibility. Our argument is the evidence of the Book and the Sunnah regarding the prohibition of eating and drinking in a general sense, and thus the matter of dispute falls within it. What was reported from Abu Talhah has not been established according to us, so it is not considered a difference of opinion.

Second aspect: Cupping (hijamah) causes both the one performing it and the one receiving it to break their fast. This is the opinion of Ishaq, Ibn al-Mundhir, and Muhammad [ibn Ishaq] (6) ibn Khuzaymah. It is also the opinion of 'Ata' and 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi. Al-Hasan, Masruq, and Ibn Sirin were of the view that a fasting person should not receive cupping. A group of the Companions used to receive cupping at night while fasting, among them Ibn 'Umar, Ibn 'Abbas, Abu Musa, and Anas [ibn Malik] (7); and Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, Ibn Mas'ud, Umm Salamah, Husayn ibn 'Ali, 'Urwah, and Sa'id ibn Jubayr permitted it. Malik, al-Thawri, Abu Hanifah, and al-Shafi'i said: It is permissible for the fasting person to receive cupping, and it does not break their fast, due to what al-Bukhari (8) narrated from Ibn 'Abbas that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) received cupping while he was fasting. And because it is blood leaving