Does drawing out blood while fasting break the fast?
Drawing blood while fasting does not break the fast according to various Islamic teachings. In the hadith, it is reported that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: Three things do not break the fast: cupping therapy, vomiting, and ejaculation.
Sunan al-Tirmidhi 8:38. This indicates that drawing blood through cupping, which is a common method of bloodletting, is permissible while fasting.
Additionally, in Shia sources, it is mentioned regarding a fasting person pulling out his molar tooth, that he said: "No." And he said, Also, he should not clean his mouth with a moist tooth-stick, nor should it cause bleeding.
Al-Kafi 2:179. This implies that while caution is advised, the act of drawing blood does not inherently invalidate the fast.
Therefore, both Sunni and Shia perspectives suggest that drawing out blood does not break the fast.
Sources
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Sunan al-Tirmidhi 8:38
Sunan al-Tirmidhi · Book 8, Hadith 38 · Narrated by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Three things do not break the fast: cupping therapy, vomiting, and ejaculation.
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Al-Kafi 2:179
Al-Kafi · Book 2, Hadith 179
My father used to say, "Fear wrongdoing, for the supplication of the oppressed rises to the heavens." — OR — Regarding a fasting person pulling out his molar tooth, he said, 'No.' And he said, 'Also, he should not clean his mouth with a moist tooth-stick, nor should it cause bleeding.' — OR — I asked Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) about two groups from the people of falsehood who meet—should we sell them weapons? He replied, "Sell them what they wear like shields and sandals and similar items." — OR — He said: The waiting period of a woman who does not menstruate and that of the woman with continuous bleeding without purification is three months. And the waiting period of the menstruating woman with regular periods is three qur' (intervals of clean days). Qur' are the intervals of dryness between periods. — OR — I asked Abu Abdullah about whether women inherit land. He said, 'No, but they inherit the value of the building.' I said, 'People do not accept that.' He said, 'When we are placed in charge and they do not accept it, we strike them with a whip; if they do not desist, we strike them with the sword.'
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